Canopus Reaches Northern Hemisphere Visibility in January and February

Summary: Second brightest star Canopus reaches Northern Hemisphere visibility in January and February at its northernmost extent over the 37th parallel north.

Canopus, February 2003: Donald R. Pettit, Expedition Six/International Space Station (ISS), Public Domain, via NASA Human Spaceflight

Second brightest star Canopus reaches Northern Hemisphere visibility in January and February at its northernmost extent over 37 degrees north latitude.

Second brightest star in the night sky after Canis Major’s Sirius, Canopus is the brightest naked eye star in the constellation of Carina the Ship’s Keel. The spectral type F supergiant marks the keel’s rudder, the primary control surface that steers the ship of the dismantled, former constellation of Argo Navis in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere.

Canopus has the astronomical designation of Alpha Carinae (α Carinae; Alpha Car; α Car) in Bayer stellar nomenclature, devised by celestial cartographer Johann Bayer (1572-March 7, 1625). Amateur astronomer Ian Ridpath refers to Athenian General Conon (ca. 444-ca. 394 BCE) and Greek geographer Strabo (65 BCE-23 CE) in the derivation of the bright star’s popular name from Greek mythology. The star’s namesake, Canopus (Ancient Greek: Κάνωβος, Kanobos), served as helmsman in Mycenaean King Meneleus’s rescue of his wife, Helen of Sparta, from Troy. Canopus also is credited as navigator for ancient Greek mythological hero Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece in the Black Sea’s ancient kingdom of Colchis.

In its northernmost reach during January and February, Canopus peaks above the horizon of four (Africa, Asia, Europe, North America) of Earth’s seven continents and two (Atlantic, Pacific) of Earth’s five oceans. It passes through the Mediterranean Sea and touches the southernmost extent of the Caspian Sea.

In Europe, the 37th parallel passes through the continent’s Mediterranean countries. In the Iberian Peninsula, the Canopus-viewing latitude passes through southernmost Portugal and Spain. The parallel’s passage through the Mediterranean Sea skims northeastern Algeria and Tunisia in North Africa. The circle of latitude passes through the southwestern province of Ragusa and the southeastern province of Siracusa in the Mediterranean’s largest island, Italy’s Sicily, and continues through the Peloponnese and Aegean islands of southern Greece. Latitude 37 north completes its traversal through Mediterranean Europe in southwestern Turkey.

The Canopus-viewing northern parallel begins its passage through the world’s largest continent, Asia, in southeastern Turkey and continues through Western Asia’s northeastern Syria, northern Iraq and northwestern Iran. In Central Asia, the 37th parallel north journeys through northeastern Iran, northern Afghanistan, south central and southeastern Turkmenistan and northern Tajikistan. Latitude 37 north crosses South Asia’s disputed Gilgit-Baltistan province, currently listed with Pakistan but counter-claimed by India.

In East Asia, the 37th parallel passes through northern China. It claims five Northwestern China provinces (Gansu, Ningxia, Qinhai, Shaanxi, Xinjiang), two North China provinces (Hebei, Shanxi) and one East China province (Shandong).

The 37th parallel north crosses the Yellow Sea, the northern part of the Pacific Ocean’s marginal East China Sea, to end its path across mainland East Asia in the southern Korean Peninsula. South Chungcheong, Gyeonggi, North Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang provinces in South Korea are located along latitude 37 north. The republic’s capital and largest city, Suwon (Seoul), lies on the 37th parallel north.

In the North Pacific, the Canopus-friendly latitude claims the East Asian island nation of Japan. Latitude 37 crosses Honshu, Japan’s largest and most populous island.

In the North Atlantic, the Canopus-friendly latitude claims Santa Maria Island in the eastern Azores archipelago. Latitude 37 north passes through northern portions of three (Vila do Porto, São Pedro, Santa Bárbara) of the island’s five parishes.

From the Pacific Ocean, the Canopus-friendly latitude makes landfall near Santa Cruz along California’s central coast. Its bicoastal path across the United States defines the borders of six states (southern Utah and northern Arizona; southern Colorado and northern New Mexico; southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma). From the Midwest to the Atlantic coast, the 37th parallel north passes through southern Missouri, southern Kentucky and southern Virginia. Latitude 37 north leaves the North American continent at Old Point Comfort at the Virginia Peninsula’s extreme tip to commence its watery path through the North Atlantic Ocean.

The takeaway for Canopus’s Northern Hemisphere visibility in January and February is its reach, via the 37th parallel north, to its northernmost extent above horizons over four of Earth’s seven continents and two of Earth’s five oceans.

Canopus as rudder in dismantled, former Argo Navis (“Ship Argo”) constellation, as depicted in 1551 celestial globe by Gerardus Mercator (March 5, 1512-Dec. 2, 1594), Mercator Globes, Harvard Map Collection; Canopus was assigned to new constellation Carina the Ship’s Keel, devised by French Jesuit astronomer Abbé Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille (28/29 Dec. 1713-March 21, 1762) in 1752 as hull portion of unwieldy ancient constellation Argo Navis: Gerardus Mercator, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Canopus, February 2003: Donald R. Pettit, Expedition Six/International Space Station (ISS), Public Domain, via NASA Human Spaceflight @ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-6/html/iss006e28068.html

Canopus as rudder in dismantled, former Argo Navis (“Ship Argo”) constellation, as depicted in 1551 celestial globe by Gerardus Mercator (March 5, 1512-Dec. 2, 1594), Mercator Globes, Harvard Map Collection; Canopus was assigned to new constellation Carina the Ship’s Keel, devised by French Jesuit astronomer Abbé Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille (28/29 Dec. 1713-March 21, 1762) in 1752 as hull portion of unwieldy ancient constellation Argo Navis: Gerardus Mercator, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Argo_Navis_-_Mercator.jpeg?uselang=fr

For further information:

“Carina Constellation.” Constellation Guide > Constellation List.
Available @ http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/carina-constellation/

Espenak, Fred. “Canopus.” AstroPixels > Stars.
Available @ http://astropixels.com/stars/Canopus-01.html

Howell, Elizabeth. “Canopus: Amazingly Bright Star.” Space.com > Skywatching. Sept. 18, 2013.
Available @ http://www.space.com/22858-canopus.html

Kaler, James B. (Jim). “Canopus (Alpha Carinae).” University of Illinois Astronomy Department > Star of the Week. Last updated June 26, 2009.
Available @ http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/canopus.html

Millás, Isolina V. “The Brightest Stars of the Southern Hemisphere.” Popular Astronomy, vol. 26 (June-July 1918): 387-391.
Available via Harvard ADSABS (NASA Astrophysics Data System Abstracts) @ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1918PA.....26..387M

Ridpath, Ian. “Argo Navis the Ship Argo.” Ian Ridpath > Star Tales.
Available @ http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/argo.htm

Ridpath, Ian. “Carina the Keel.” Ian Ridpath > Star Tales.
Available @ http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/carina.htm

Sessions, Larry. “Will You See Canopus?” EarthSky > Tonight. Feb. 4, 2016.
Available @ http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/few-know-the-second-brightest-star-canopus