ALPHA (α) CANUM VENATICORUM
OPTICAL DOUBLE STAR

Right Ascension:
12h 56m 01s

Best Seen:
4/1 - 9/1

Declination:
38º 19' 00" Combined
Magnitude:
2.80

Computer File:
alphacvn

Constellation:
Canes Venatici

Apparent
Separation: 23.4"

Actual

Compared to Sun

Distance

110 / 82 l.y.

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Actual Brightness

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63 / 2.8

Magnitude

2.89 / 5.61

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Mass

--

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Surface Gravity

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Surface Composition (by mass)

74% hydrogen 24% helium 2% everything else

same

Spectral Type

A0p / F0 V

G2 V

Density (gram/cubic cm)

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WHAT TO LOOK FOR THROUGH THE TELESCOPE:

  1. Recommended eyepiece: 24mm or 40 mm.

  2. When people look through the telescope they should see two stars near each other. One star should be slightly brighter than the other.

ALPHA CANUM VENATICORUM INFORMATION:

  1. Unlike many constellations, Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs, is a modern constellation, invented by the 17th century astronomer Hevelius to fill in gaps left by the ancients.

  2. The primary star is called Cor Caroli, “The Heart of Charles.”

a. One story is that Edmund Halley gave this name in honor of England’s King Charles II.

b. More likely, the star’s original name was Cor Caroli Regis Martyris, honoring the executed King Charles I.

  1. Cor Caroli marks the dog Chara, while the other star in the constellation marks the dog Asterion.

  2. The brighter star, Cor Caroli, is actually called Alpha 2 because of its position in the sky relative to Alpha 1.

  3. Cor Caroli is a “magnetic” star, possessing one of the strongest magnetic fields of otherwise normal main sequence star. Whereas our sun’s overall magnetic field is a few times more than Earth’s Cor Caroli’s magnetic field is about 1500 times stronger.

Item
Updated Notes

Coordinates 11-18-2002
with Scott’s Flamsteed Collection, but gave average value between the two

Combined Magnitude
11-18-2002
OK with Scott’s Flamsteed

Apparent Separation 11-18-2002
from coordinates

Distance
11-18-2002
from Flamsteed and matches SIMBAD

Actual Brightness
11-18-2002
from Flamsteed

Magnitude
11-18-2002
OK with Flamsteed

Mass

Surface Gravity

Surface Composition 01-06-2003
OK for all stars

Spectral Type
11-18-2002
OK with Flamsteed, close match to SIMBAD

Density

Other Information
11-18-2002
http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/corcaroli.html and http://www.dibonsmith.com/cvn_con.htm and Item 2b, Burnham’s and http://www.space.com/spacewatch/hunting_dog_020517.html