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Encyclopedia > Eridanus (constellation)
Eridanus
Eridanus
Click for larger image
List of stars in Eridanus
Abbreviation: Eri
Genitive: Eridani
Symbology: the river
Right ascension: 3.25 h
Declination: −29°
Area: 1138 sq. deg. (6th)
Main stars: 24
Bayer/Flamsteed stars: 82
Stars with planets: 4
Bright stars: 4
Nearby stars: 12
Brightest star: Achernar (α Eri) (0.46m)
Nearest star: ε Eri (10.5 ly)
Messier objects: None
Meteor showers: None
Bordering constellations: Cetus
Fornax
Phoenix
Hydrus
Tucana (corner)
Horologium
Caelum
Lepus
Orion
Taurus
Visible at latitudes between +32° and −90°
Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of December

Eridanus (IPA: [ɪˈɹɪdənəs], the ancient Greek name for the Po River (now in Italy), in the mythology associated with Phaëton) is the sixth largest of the 88 modern constellations. It was also one of Ptolemy's 48 constellations. This is a celestial map of the constellation Eridanus. ... This is the list of notable stars in the constellation Eridanus, sorted by decreasing brightness. ... The genitive case is a grammatical case that indicates a relationship, primarily one of possession, between the noun in the genitive case and another noun. ... For other uses, see River (disambiguation). ... Equatorial Coordinates Right ascension (abbrev. ... In astronomy, declination (abbrev. ... Here is a list of the 88 modern constellations by their area in the sky, measured in square degrees. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Flamsteed designations for stars are similar to Bayer designations, except that they use numbers instead of Greek letters. ... The position of Achernar Achernar (α Eri / α Eridani / Alpha Eridani) is the brightest star in the constellation Eridanus and the ninth brightest star in the nighttime sky. ... The apparent magnitude (m) of a star, planet or other celestial body is a measure of its apparent brightness as seen by an observer on Earth. ... Epsilon Eridani (ε Eri / ε Eridani) is a notable main-sequence K2 class star in the constellation of Eridanus. ... A light-year or lightyear (symbol: ly) is a unit of measurement of length, specifically the distance light travels in vacuum in one year. ... The Messier objects are a set of astronomical objects catalogued by Charles Messier in his catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters first published in 1774. ... A meteor shower, some of which are known as a meteor storm or meteor outburst, is a celestial event where a group of meteors are observed to radiate from one point in the sky. ... Cetus (a name from Greek mythology, referring to a Whale or Sea monster, see Ceto) is a constellation of the southern sky, in the region known as the Water, near other watery constellations like Aquarius, Pisces, and Eridanus. ... Fornax (Latin for furnace) is a southern constellation which was first introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille under the name Fornax Chemica (Latin for chemical furnace). ... Phoenix (IPA: ) is a minor southern constellation, introduced by Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman, and popularized by Johann Bayers Uranometria in 1603. ... Hydrus (Latin for Hydra, also referred to as male Hydra or little Hydra) is a minor southern constellation. ... Tucana (Latin for Toucan) is a southern constellation. ... Horologium (Latin for clock) is one of the lesser southern constellations (declination around -60 degrees). ... Caelum (IPA: ; earlier Cæla Sculptoris (Latin: ) is a minor southern constellation introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. ... Lepus (IPA: , Latin: ) is a constellation, lying just south of the Celestial equator, below the constellation Orion, and possibly representing a hare being chased by Orion the hunter. ... Orion (IPA: ), a constellation often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation, one of the largest and perhaps the best-known and most conspicuous in the sky[1]. Its brilliant stars are found on the celestial equator and are visible throughout the world, making this constellation globally recognized. ... Taurus (IPA: , Latin: , symbol , ) is one of the constellations of the zodiac. ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... The Po (Latin: Padus, Italian: Po) is a river that flows 652 kilometers (405 miles) eastward across northern Italy, from Monviso (in the Cottian Alps) to the Adriatic Sea near Venice. ... The fall of Phaeton, Johann Liss, beginning of 17th century. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A medieval artists rendition of Claudius Ptolemaeus Claudius Ptolemaeus (Greek: ; ca. ...

Contents

Astronomical features in Eridanus

Achernar

At its southern end is the first magnitude star Achernar (α Eri). Achernar is a very peculiar star because it is one of the flattest stars known. Observations indicate that its radius is about 50% larger at the equator than at the poles. This distortion occurs because the star is spinning extremely rapidly. The apparent magnitude (m) of a star, planet or other celestial body is a measure of its apparent brightness as seen by an observer on Earth. ... STAR is an acronym for: Organizations Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers], the self-regulatory body for the entertainment ticket industry in the UK. Society for Telescopy, Astronomy, and Radio, a non-profit New Jersey astronomy club. ... The position of Achernar Achernar (α Eri / α Eridani / Alpha Eridani) is the brightest star in the constellation Eridanus and the ninth brightest star in the nighttime sky. ...


Epsilon Eridani

Another well-known star in Eridanus is Epsilon Eridani, which has been popular in science fiction because it is relatively close and relatively sun-like. It is now known to have at least one planet (see extrasolar planet), which is thought to be a gas giant, like Jupiter. Epsilon Eridani (ε Eri / ε Eridani) is a notable main-sequence K2 class star in the constellation of Eridanus. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Sol redirects here. ... An extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, is a planet beyond the Solar System. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ...


The Eridanus Supervoid

The largest supervoid discovered to date (August 2007) is in Eridanus. At a diameter of about one billion light years it is much larger than any other known void (absence of galaxies) in the universe, and represents a challenge for current theories of the origins of the universe to explain. It was discovered by linking a 'cold spot' in the cosmic microwave background to an absence of radio galaxies in data of the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array Sky Survey.[1] See Also WMAP Cold Spot In 2004 the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe mapped out a region in the Eridanus Constellation which had cosmic microwave background radiation that was cooler than the surrounding area. ... In astronomy, voids are the empty spaces between filaments, one of the largest-scale structures in the Universe that contain none or hardly any galaxies. ... A light-year or lightyear (symbol: ly) is a unit of measurement of length, specifically the distance light travels in vacuum in one year. ... WMAP image of the CMB anisotropy,Cosmic microwave background radiation(June 2003) The cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) is a form of electromagnetic radiation that fills the whole of the universe. ... An active galaxy is a galaxy where a significant fraction of the energy output is not emitted by the normal components of a galaxy: stars, dust and interstellar gas. ... United States may refer to: Places: United States of America SS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever built. ... The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is an institution set up by the United States government for the purpose of radio astronomy. ... The Very Large Array (VLA) is a radio astronomy observatory located on the Plains of San Augustin, between the towns of Magdalena and Datil, some fifty miles (80 km) west of Socorro, New Mexico, USA. U.S. Route 60 passes through the complex. ... In 2004 the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe mapped out a region in the Eridanus Constellation which had cosmic microwave background radiation that was cooler than the surrounding area. ...


Mythology

Eridanus is associated with two Greek myths, both likely to be derived from the shape of the constellation — that of a very twisty path. Eridanus was sometimes considered to be a river which flowed from the waters of Aquarius, and in such situations, Aquarius was considered to face Eridanus (requiring a change of angle, and this required the redesigning of how the stars of Aquarius connect, so that the water poured onto the same side as Eridanus). Aquarius (IPA: , Latin: ) is the eleventh sign of the zodiac, situated between Capricornus and Pisces. ...


Eridanus was more usually connected to the myth of Phaëton, who took over the reins of Helios' (i.e. the Sun's) sky chariot, but didn't have the strength to control it, and so veered wildly in different directions. The result was that sometimes the chariot got too close to earth, creating desert and burning people's skin (a myth they considered to explain the skin of the Ethiopians). Zeus intervened by striking Phaëton dead with a thunderbolt. The constellation was considered to be the path Phaëton drove along, according to the mythology. In later times, it was considered to be the river of the underworld that he fell into. The fall of Phaeton, Johann Liss, beginning of 17th century. ... For other uses, see Helios (disambiguation). ...


References

  1. ^ NRAO: "Astronomers Find Enormous Hole in the Universe". NRAO website, retrieved 24 August 2007.
General reference
  • Ridpath, Ian; Wil Tirion (2007). Collins Stars and Planets Guide. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-725120-9. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Eridanus


Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...

The 88 modern constellations
Andromeda • Antlia • Apus • Aquarius • Aquila • Ara • Aries • Auriga • Boötes • Caelum • Camelopardalis • Cancer • Canes Venatici • Canis Major • Canis Minor • Capricornus • Carina • Cassiopeia • Centaurus • Cepheus • Cetus • Chamaeleon • Circinus • Columba • Coma Berenices • Corona Australis • Corona Borealis • Corvus • Crater • Crux • Cygnus • Delphinus • Dorado • Draco • Equuleus • Eridanus • Fornax • Gemini • Grus • Hercules • Horologium • Hydra • Hydrus • Indus • Lacerta • Leo • Leo Minor • Lepus • Libra • Lupus • Lynx • Lyra • Mensa • Microscopium • Monoceros • Musca • Norma • Octans • Ophiuchus • Orion • Pavo • Pegasus • Perseus • Phoenix • Pictor • Pisces • Piscis Austrinus • Puppis • Pyxis • Reticulum • Sagitta • Sagittarius • Scorpius • Sculptor • Scutum • Serpens • Sextans • Taurus • Telescopium • Triangulum • Triangulum Australe • Tucana • Ursa Major • Ursa Minor • Vela • Virgo • Volans • Vulpecula

  Results from FactBites:
 
Eridanus (abbr. Eri, gen. Eridani) (172 words)
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Orion is a remarkable constellation, visible from most places on the globe at one time or another during the year.
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All modern constellation names are Latin proper names or words, and some stars are named using the genitive of the constellation in which they are found.
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