The constellation Cancer is formed by a group of stars that resemble an imaginary crab in the starry sky. It is the fourth sign of the zodiac, and although it is the first of the water signs, its ruling planet is the moon, which symbolizes motherhood and femininity. Therefore, both the moon and Cancer symbolize emotions and nurturing love. Discover more below.
Cancer Constellation
There are 12 constellations that make up the zodiac, and the constellation of Cancer belongs to one of them, its location is in the northern hemisphere and it has the 31st place of all the large constellations in space, occupying 506 square degrees of space, which can be seen between +90° and -60°.
The nearest constellations are Canis Minor , Gemini , Hydra , Leo , Leo Minor, and Lynx . Although this constellation is the least visible, as its stars are only magnitude 4, it is also located between Gemini to the west and Leo to the east.
The name Cancer derives from the Latin crab and Καρκίνος in ancient Greek, which literally symbolizes a crab; that is why this constellation has that name and the representation of a crab.
In this constellation there are a lot of very bright stars, which have a magnitude of 3,3, it has at least 250 stars and can be seen with just binoculars or a small telescope, that's why this constellation is very special. It also has stars called M44 and they are the largest group of stars that can be seen with the naked eye, when the sky is very dark.
It also has stars to the north and south known as Borealis Asellus and Australis Asellus , which are the brightest stars in the constellation Cancer, but the most luminous is Beta Cancri, also known as Tarf or Al Tarf . What truly makes this constellation remarkable is the cluster of stars in M44, called the Prasepe or the Beehive Cluster, which is visible to the naked eye from Earth. All the stars that make up the cluster are visible, with the brightest star being Epsilon Cancri , at magnitude 6,3.
There is also M67, which is another beautiful cluster of stars that are located to the south of this constellation, they are more or less about five hundred stars that are 2.400 light years from us. These stars are older than the manger, estimated at 3.900 million years, with an angle of 30 'arc. In this constellation of Cancer, the star 55 is the most outstanding, because it has 5 planets that orbit around it, this system is very numerous within the solar system.
If you wish to see the constellation Cancer in the starry sky during winter, you should look east. Although Cancer doesn't have very bright stars, it can be difficult to find. The best way to locate it is to use other, brighter constellations as a guide. For example, Gemini is located next to Leo. Another astrological topic that might interest you is the Midheaven in Aquarius.
main stars
The main stars that make up this extraordinary constellation of cancer in outer space are the following:
- Alpha: called Acubens, Sertan o sartan, also known as pincer, has a size of 4,30 magnitude, is yellow in color, is 170 light years from ours, and is also much brighter than the Sun.
- Beta: also called altarf, has a size of 3,5 magnitude, is the brightest star in this constellation, and is located in the southern limit of the Hydra. It is 290 light years away and is orange in color.
- Range: also named asellus borealis or ass of the north, that's how he defined it Tolomeo in his Almagest. Its brightness is 4.6, it is white in color and it is 158 light years from our solar system.
- delta: also named as asellus australis or ass of the south, this star is located in the center of the constellation, its shape is ecliptic, it has a size of 4.2 magnitude, its color is yellow and it is 136 light years from our galaxy.
- Burbot: it is located in the northern space of this constellation, it has a yellow color and its size is 4,20 magnitude, it is 300 light years from our solar system and also forms a binary system that is separated by 30″ of arc.
- RS Cancri: also called S star and is located in the asymptotic giant branch.
- TX Cancri: this is a binary and eclipsing star, it is also a contact binary and forms the cluster M44.
- VZ Cancri: is a variable star delta scuti of great extension.
- WY Cancri: is an eclipsing two-element star, also variable is RS Canum Venaticorum and is 9,47 magnitude.
- BS Cancri: is a variable star delta scutiy It constitutes part of the “Manger”.
- DX Cancri: it is a very bright star and is located 11,82 light years from our solar system.
- HR3617 or also call HD 78175, it is a multiple star and has a size of 6,87 magnitude.
- GJ 1116 also called EI Cancri, is a binary system and is 17 light years from our solar system.
- ross 619: it is a small red star and is 22,3 light years away.
- LHS 2090 or also call glise 330, is a small red and dim star, it is 20,8 and 55,5 light years away from our solar system.
Mythology behind the Cancer constellation
This Cancer constellation has many mythological stories, as do the other zodiac constellations. Its stars are precise and have been marked since ancient times by the location of the Sun, when it is at the June solstice. According to the Mesopotamians, it was believed that there was a portal where the souls came from to reincarnate, just when they were in that position.
In Egyptian customs, the constellation of Cancer represented the sun god Khepri , symbolizing fertility, life, and rebirth, and was depicted as a celestial scarab. For the Greeks, Cancer was a crab that tried to pinch Hercules ' toes during his battle with the Hydra. When Hercules was about to slay the Hydra , the goddess Hera sent a giant crab to his aid. Even so, Hercules killed it, but Hera placed it in the heavens to glorify him as a constellation.
There is also another legend about the constellation Cancer that has much to do with donkeys in the manger, because the gods Dionysus and Hephaestus rode on the backs of these donkeys when they were fighting the Titans to get closer to them. When they were very close, the donkeys began to bray, causing the giants to flee in terror. As a reward for their service, they placed them in the manger in the heavens to rest after their excellent work.
This constellation of Cancer is part of the 12 constellations of the Zodiac, it is the constellation that is least appreciated in the sky because none of its stars are very large, since they have a magnitude of 4. It is located to the west of Gemini and to the east of Leo, specifically this constellation is between parallel 10º and 30º north and that is why it can be seen in November and April in the northern hemisphere and in summer in the southern hemisphere.
What do its stars hide and how do they relate to Hercules?
This story from Greek mythology is very important because it's closely related to the Olympian gods and tells of Hera's anger towards Hercules , Zeus 's wife , who wanted revenge. Hera was furious because her husband Zeus had had an affair, and Hercules was born from that union. So, for many years, they plotted to destroy him. This is where the crab of this constellation enters the story. Hercules had to complete twelve very difficult tasks on Mount Olympus to atone for the murder of his entire family in a fit of rage.
He had to overcome each of these extremely difficult trials, and he faced them all with great courage and strength. One of the trials consisted of confronting a terrifying creature from Greek mythology: the Hydra , a monster that lived in the water. Its form was very similar to a reptile, but it had many snake heads, and if one was cut off, two more would grow in its place.
To make the situation much more difficult for Hercules , Hera sent Carcinos , a gigantic crab that lived in the Lerna lagoon and that would have the possibility of pinching Hercules with its gigantic pincers, while he fought with the Hydra to kill it.
This story has two versions regarding the crab's final fate: the first is that Hercules crushed the crab, and the other version is that he kicked it so hard that it sent it straight into the sky, among the stars.
Despite what the crab did, the Goddess Hera was not very happy with its work, so she placed it in a part of the sky that did not have vigorous stars, which shone little less than the other constellations, and that is why it is not as striking as the other constellations, for not effectively fulfilling what it was entrusted with.
Nevertheless, Hera somehow decided to honor the crab's labor by placing it in the heavens, even though it couldn't harm Hercules. In this way, she created the constellation Cancer, which is next to the constellation Leo, representing a lion and also associated with the 12 labors assigned to Hercules . Many people fail to see the crab in this constellation; what they see is an inverted "Y" in the cosmos. Another topic that might interest you about astrology is the Water Signs.
Curiosities
People born under this zodiac sign of Cancer are very emotional, they have a lot of sensitivity and they are also very intuitive, they really like to delve into deep and intimate conversations. They have a prodigious memory, they criticize themselves, they really like family and home, giving them their support and protection.
Crabs usually live inside their shell to protect themselves, because they are very sensitive inside, this behavior also helps them hide their shyness, they are extremely distrustful, but they love to be filled with love and they also like to give love.
- This constellation covers 505,9 square degrees of space.
- It belongs to the fourth sign of the 12 that make up the zodiac.
- The constellation of Cancer is located between the constellations of Gemini in the east, Lynx in the north, and the constellations of canis minor and Hydra to the south.
- This constellation has no bright stars, since the stars are magnitude 4.
- This sign belongs to the water element.
- The Moon rules it.
- He is represented by a Crab.
- Those born between June 21 - July 22, belong to this sign.
- This Cancer constellation can be seen in the northern and southern hemispheres.
- The zodiac crosses the middle of the constellation at the end of July and beginning of August.
- Cancer is 30º north of the Milky Way, so two beautiful multitudes of stars can be seen.
- The Cancer Constellation can be seen at the end of autumn and until spring in the northern hemisphere, also in the southern hemisphere in the summer and autumn months.
- It does not have very bright stars, its stars are very low, but it has the brightest star in the constellation called altarf, which is 500 times brighter than the sun itself.
- The representation of the constellation of Cancer in the sky does not resemble a crab, rather it is an inverse "Y".
- Cancer means crab in Latin.
- The Tropic of Cancer is named after this constellation, because a line of latitude is marked far to the north and from there the sun can be seen clearly at the top.
- The constellation of Cancer has foundations in the Babylonian constellation and is 3.000 years old, at that time it was called "The river crab".
- owns the meteor shower Tau Cancrids.
- This constellation has a lot of representation of stars, about 104 in total and 50 of them are visible to the naked eye, in the month of March it is more appreciated.
With the intention of complementing the information developed here about the Cancer Constellation, we leave you this video below, so that you can obtain more information about the crab constellation: