The constellation of Corvus, the Crow // E. Slawik/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani
Click below for its mythology, an annotated image, and the named stars!
Ah, yes. That's definitely the shape of a crow...
Corvus, which is Latin for "crow," is one of the original 48 constellations set down by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century.
This constellation has been seen as a raven or crow since antiquity. The Babylonians saw it as a raven sitting on the tail of a serpent. But to the Greeks, the raven/crow was always associated with Apollo.
In one myth, the Crow tells the god Apollo that his lover, Coronis, had been unfaithful. In a fit of rage, Apollo turned the pure white raven's feather jet black. In another myth, a crow was sent by Apollo with a cup to fetch him some water. However, the crow stopped on the way to eat figs. Instead of telling Apollo the truth, the crow lied and said that a snake kept him from getting the water, while holding a snake in his talons as proof. Apollo, seeing through this ruse, flung the crow, cup, and snake into the sky. As further punishment, Apollo ensured that the crow would forever be thirsty and just out of reach of the cup.
In order of brightness, the named stars are:
Gienah (γ Corvi), a binary star system about 154 light years away. The primary star is a blue giant while its companion is probably a red dwarf. The name comes from the Arabic phrase al-janāħ al-ghirāb al-yaman meaning "the right wing of the crow."
Kraz (β Corvi) is a solitary yellow supergiant star about 146 light years away. Its name was given to it by the Czech astronomer Antonín Bečvář in 1951, although we have no idea what it means.
Algorab (δ Corvi) is a probable solitary star, a blue-white giant star about 87 light years away. Its name comes from the Arabic word al-ghuraab meaning "the crow."
Alchiba (α Corvi) is a binary star system consisting of a yellow-white giant and a red dwarf. The entire system lies about 49 light years away. Its name comes from the Arabic word al-xibā meaning "tent."
