Cancer (constellation)
Cancer is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac and is located in the Northern celestial hemisphere. Its old astronomical symbol is (♋︎). Its name is Latin for crab and it is commonly represented as one. Cancer is a medium-size constellation with an area of 506 square degrees and its stars are rather faint, its brightest star Beta Cancri having an apparent magnitude of 3.5. It contains ten stars with known planets, including 55 Cancri, which has five: one super-earth and four gas giants, one of which is in the habitable zone and as such has expected temperatures similar to Earth. At the (angular) heart of this sector of our celestial sphere is Praesepe (Messier 44), one of the closest open clusters to Earth and a popular target for amateur astronomers.
| Constellation | |
| Abbreviation | Cnc |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Cancri |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkænsər/, genitive /ˈkæŋkraɪ/ |
| Symbolism | the Crab |
| Right ascension | 07h 55m 19.7973s–09h 22m 35.0364s |
| Declination | 33.1415138°–6.4700689° |
| Area | 506 sq. deg. (31st) |
| Main stars | 5 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 76 |
| Stars with planets | 10 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 0 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 2 |
| Brightest star | β Cnc (Tarf) (3.53m) |
| Messier objects | 2 |
| Meteor showers | Delta Cancrids |
| Bordering constellations | Lynx Gemini Canis Minor Hydra Leo Leo Minor (corner) |
| Visible at latitudes between +90° and −60°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of March. | |