Amateur astronomers can easily find in the night sky called the aqueous region.Here, the "live" Pisces, Aquarius, "flows" Eridanus.Immediately located and the constellation Cetus.This heavenly figure takes a vast area.To observe with the naked eye in good weather, is available about a hundred stars in its composition.
Location
Constellation China for children, however, as for adults - pretty basic in terms of object detection in the sky.He has enough bright and almost all famous landmarks - is Orion and Taurus.They are located close to the east of the constellation described.
Keith is one of the southern celestial figures, since only a small part of it lies in the northern hemisphere.The ideal time to observe the constellation - this November.At the same time in our country can only admire them in central and southern regions.
Constellation China: Legend
Keith - one of the oldest star clusters that make up the list of the Greek scientist Ptolemy.Strictly speaking, impressive in its size mammal plowing expanses of the ocean and feeding on plankton is only indirectly related to this heavenly pattern as the constellation Cetus.The legend associated with it, tells the story of a terrible monster, sent down by the gods of Olympus in the country of the Ethiopian king Cepheus punishment for careless words about his wife's own unsurpassed beauty.It is this beast called the myth whale or just a huge fish, I had to eat Andromeda, daughter of Cepheus.Spas beauty Perseus, and after a while the gods immortalized all the participants of the events in the sky.Perhaps the constellation of China for the first time children becomes interesting after reading the legend.Although sometimes, and vice versa: Greek mythology is filled with new meaning after meeting with a map of the sky.
The brightest
Constellation China is remarkable in many ways.For example, not always, that is not, at any time, you can say with certainty what the star in his part of the brightest.The status of the most notable stars usually have the Alpha and Beta heavenly figure, the brighter the first second.However, sometimes illuminated by flashes of the constellation Cetus Mira (Omicron Ceti), but more on that later.
Beta stars of this cluster is also called Difda or Kaytos Deneb (the tail of a whale).This orange giant, enters the final stages of its life cycle.Difda not greatly exceed the sun by weight (total three times), but it is brighter in the 145 times and 17 times larger in diameter.Located orange giant at a distance of 96 light years from our planet.
Amazing
Some very interesting objects included in the constellation Cetus.Stars, referred to as the Omicron Tau and attract the attention of many astronomers, both amateurs and professionals.
Omicron Ceti, mentioned above, also called the World, which means "amazing" or "marvelous."She is considered a pioneer David Fabricius, watch the stars in 1596.Luminary is a type of long-period variables, referred to in her honor Mira.A characteristic feature of them - a long period of light variation.In the case of Myra, he averages 331.62 days.What is surprising is the range within which changes its magnitude from 3,4 to 9,3 m.At maximum brightness Omicron China is becoming one of the brightest stars of this heavenly figure, and at a minimum it is not visible even in binoculars.At the same time the range may be shifted: the world can become a star of 2,0 m, that is, the brightest in the constellation.The lower limit, in turn, sometimes shifted to 10,1 m.
Dual
Peace is also a multiple star system consisting of two stars.The red giant Mira A and its companion white dwarf in the world separated by a distance of 70 light-years away and orbit with an orbital period of 400 years.The above features characterize Omicron Ceti A white dwarf but also refers to the number of variable stars.It is surrounded by a disk consisting of a substance which flows here from the red giant.The substance enters uneven gloss causing companion varies from 9.5 to 12 m.
Tail
World lives up to its name.After four centuries of observation of the star she managed to surprise astronomers.In 2007, thanks to the telescope GALEX has light was discovered a giant gas-dust tail size: it extends to 13 light-years, which is 3 times greater than the distance between the Sun and Proxima Centauri.According to the researchers, Omicron Ceti every ten years loses weight equal to the Earth.As a result, characteristics of the star it is reset substance is blown back.
Worlds Moving through space - another amazing feature of the star.It moves in the opposite direction of most of the other stars.With a speed of about 130 km / s World overcomes the cloud of interstellar gas, flying to meet her.The consequence of this is the formation of a tail.
sunlike
World is not the only "attraction" that adorns the constellation.Tau Ceti - no less than the famous star of this heavenly figure.After Proxima Centauri and Epsilon Eridani is the nearest star (distance - 12 light years).Her feature - the resemblance in many settings with the sun.Tau Ceti as our star - yellow dwarf, having no companion.She slowly rotates on its axis, which again makes it similar to the sun.Meanwhile, this property two stars is not typical for stars of spectral class.In the case of slow rotation of the sun due to the presence of a planetary system, shared with luminary angular momentum.Until recently, the assumption about the cause of the slow rotation of Tau Ceti existed only at the level of speculation.
Five planets
Constellation China horoscope usually deprives their attention as irrelevant to the zodiac.Astronomers, in contrast to the astrologers believe that with some probability Star China can play a very important role in the life of all mankind.
In December 2012 the slow rotation of Tau Ceti has received a similar property to the same explanation of the Sun: the star was discovered five extrasolar planets.Since then, the attention of many experts in the field of astronomy and astrophysics focused on this system.The fact that at least two of the detected ekzoplanet potentially useful life, and therefore can be inhabited.
All five sites are located compactly enough: the orbit farthest from the star is located close to the Tau Ceti, the Sun than Mars.The first three exoplanets therefore unsuitable for protein life: most likely, they are red-hot desert parched rays star.Hopes for the detection of advanced civilization, if not, then at least primitive organisms are assigned to the last two planets.
specifications and conditions
fourth from the planet Tau Ceti is more than three times greater than the mass of Earth and makes one revolution around the star in 168 days.The latter figure to the next, the fifth, the object of the system is approximately 640 days.The data did not conclusively determine what the temperature conditions in these cosmic bodies, but scientists believe that global climate may be suitable for the development of life.
situation, however, is not so simple: the system Tau Ceti Unlike the Solar has a huge number of asteroids and comets.According to this indicator, it is ahead of our slice of the galaxy about 10 times.In such circumstances, the planet must continually withstand a collision with solid objects, comparable to the meteorite, who allegedly caused the death of the dinosaurs.It is likely, therefore, that life, if it is on the planet Tau Ceti is at a primitive level.
However, all these details still need to cross-check and more thorough analysis.At the same moment, a constellation of China remains a place where the light of the stars with potentially habitable planets.Scientists do not leave hopes to find evidence for the existence of life on these facilities, which are constantly directed towards Tau Ceti radio telescope with the aim to capture possible signals from civilizations situated therein.Heavenly figure became a symbol of hope and the future, perhaps, is why some companies are named after him: for example, the Center "Constellation of China" (Russia, Novosibirsk).
Among this celestial figure is not only interesting star.There are a large number of galaxies and nebulae.All the constellation of Cetus (the stars, galactic clusters and its other elements) is of great interest to science.Do not deprive him attention and amateur astronomers, the value of whose activities in terms of the study of celestial bodies can not be overemphasized.
