"The Keel"
Location:
R.A. = 9h, Dec. = 60 N
Mythology:Carina
was once part of the gigantic constellation
Argo Navis, the ship
of Jason and the Argonauts. However, in 1763, Abbe Nicholas Louis
de Lacaille divided the magnificent ship into three constellations -- Carina,
Puppis, and Vela. These represent the Keel, Stern, and Sail of the
Argo,
respectfully. The Keel is the bottom of the ship.
Jason and the Argonauts are often considered to be the greatest heroes
celebrated by the Ancient Greeks. They sailed the Black Sea to Asia
to recover the Golden Fleece of Aries. Among the crew were the Gemini
Twins, Castor and Pollux; Hercules; Orpheus; and even the builder of the
ship, Argus.
The Gods were even involved with the design of the great ship. Athena,
the Goddess of Love and Wisdom, designed the ship and told Argus to build
it with timbers from Mount Pelion. The bow of the ship was built
on an oak beam from the Temple of Zeus at Dodona. Since it was part
of the oracle, the beam could speak, and even before they set sail the
"ship" announced its eagerness to get underway. Only the stern (back)
of the Argo is shown in the night sky constellation. Some
claim that this represents the Argo sailing off into the Black Sea.
Other Interesting
Sights: The second brightest star in the sky,
Canopus, is in Carina, which is used for navigation by spacecraft.
Carina also has the star Eta Carinae. This star was originally a
fourth magnitude star, but in April of 1843 it became brighter than Sirius,
the brightest star in the sky. By 1868, Eta Carinae had dimmed down
to an eighth magnitude star. Two possible explanations for
this are: 1) it is a variable star, or 2) it is a recurring supernova.
Eta Carinae as seen from the Hubble Space Telescope