#wasp-34

[quiltofstars]

The constellation of Crater, the Cup // E. Slawik/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani

Click below for some more information on this smaller southern constellation as well as an annotated image!

Crater, which comes from the Greek word krater, a type of cup used to water down wine, is one of the original 48 constellations set down by Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century.

In Greek mythology, Crater is associated with its neighbor Corvus, the Crow. This crow was asked by Apollo to fetch him some water, but the Crow dilly-dalleyed. He found some figs and waited for them to ripe before eating them. Finally, the Crow finds some water and puts it in Apollo's cup and takes back a water snake as well, blaming it for drinking the water. Apollo sees through this ruse and angrily threw the crow, cup, and water snake up in the sky as the constellations Corvus, Crater, and Hydra. The cup is now permanently just out of reach of the thirsty and lazy Crow, serving as a warning for not obeying the gods.

There are only three officially named stars in Crater:

Alkes (α Crateris), the third-brightest star in Crater. It is a solitary orange giant star about 160 light years away. Its name comes from the Arabic word alkās meaning "the cup."

Hunahpú (HD 98129) is an orange giant star about 369 light years away. It has one confirmed exoplanet orbiting it, about twice the mass of Jupiter, named Ixbalanqué. Both names were given by the people of Honduras: Hunahpú was one of the twin gods who became the Sun in Mayan mythology, and Ixbalanqué is the other twin who became the Moon.

Amansinaya (WASP-34) is a Sun-like star about 428 light years away. It has one confirmed exoplanet orbiting it, about half the mass of Jupiter, named Haik. Both names were given by the people of the Philippines: Amansinaya is named for the primordial god of the ocean and protector of fishermen in Tagalog mythology, and Haik is his successor as god of the sea.