The constellation of Camelopardalis, the Giraffe // E. Slawik/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani
Click below for an annotated image of this very dim constellation as well as some information about its stars' interesting names!
Camelopardalis, the Greek word for "giraffe" (kamēlos "camel" + pardalis "spotted"), is a relatively recent addition to the skies. It was created by Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius in 1613.
In order of brightness, the named stars are:
Custos (BE Camelopardalis) is a solitary red supergiant star about 960 light years away. Its name is in honor of an obsolete constellation called Custos Messium, "the Harvest-Keeper," seen as the man standing on the giraffe's back in the image above. It was created in honor of French astronomer Charles Messier, a pun on his name.
Tonglingxing (HD 49878) is a solitary orange giant star about 191 light years away. Its name comes from the Chinese word tongling (桐陵) meaning "phoenix tree mound."
Shaowei (γ Camelopardalis) is a binary star system about 386 light years away. Its primary star is a blue-white giant. The name comes from the Chinese phrase Shào Wèi (少衛) meaning "the second imperial guard."
Shangwei (HD 42818) is another binary star system consisting of at least one blue-white giant star. The system is about 175 light years away. The name comes from the Chinese phrase Shàng Wèi (上衛) meaning "the great imperial guard."
Kamelos (HD 45866) is a solitary orange giant star about 726 light years away. Its name comes from the Greek word kamelos meaning "camel."
Tonatiuh (HD 104985) is a solitary yellow giant star about 329 light years away. Its name refers to the Aztec god of the Sun, Tōnatiuh. It has a single planet orbiting it, about 5.5 times the mass of Jupiter, which is named Meztli after the Aztec goddess of the Moon.
Mago (HD 32518) is a solitary orange giant star about 397 light years away. Its name refers to the Mago National Park in Ethilopia, noted for its giraffes. It also has a planet orbiting it, about 3 times the mass of Jupiter, named Neri after the river Neri in Ethiopia that runs through Mago National Park.
