The Northern Crown known as the Corona Borealis is a constellation that can be found in the northern sky, hence the name. It is a small constellation but is recognizable which has only four bright stars. The Corona Borealis likes between the two constellations Bootes and the Hercules; this constellation is also known as the Caer Arianrhod or as the castle of Arianrhod which is the same place where the Mythical lady Arianrhod lived. Size wise this constellation is 73rd and occupies a space of 179 degrees, lying in the third quadrant of the northern hemisphere. Bootes, Serpens and the Hercules are the neighboring constellations to the Corona Borealis. This 73rd constellation belongs to the Ursa Major family of constellations; other constellations in this family are the Bootes, Camelopardalis, Canes Venatici, Draco, Lynx, Ursa Major and the Ursa Minor.
The major stars within Corona Borealis
- Alphecca or alpha coronae Borealis- The brightest star in the Corona Borealis; it is a binary star that has a magnitude which varies from 2.21 and 2.32. This star is some 75 light years away, and the primary component in this star is a white class A0V sequence star that emits infrared radiation. This star is known by several names like the Gemma in Latin and the Asteroth in Hebrew.
- Nusakan- The beta coronae Borealis or the Nusakan is an Alpha-2 venatricorum star type with an approximate period of 18.487 days. This has a magnitude that varies somewhere from 3.65 to 3.72, it is also 114 light years away from the solar system and is the second brightest star in this constellation.
- Gamma Coronae Borealis- This a close binary star which has an orbit that is 91 years old, this star is known to be quiet variable as it shows variations in its luminosity. This stars magnitude is somewhere from 3.80 to 3.86.
- Zeta Coronae Borealis- This is a double star, and it consists of a blue pair and white pair of stars. This is some 220 light years away from the solar system.
- Blaze star- The blazing star is also known as T coronae Borealis which is a recurrent nova, and it has a magnitude of some 10-10.8. It is a red giant star which is some 2000 light years away.
- The rho coronae borealis- A yellow dwarf star that has a magnitude of 5.4 and has almost the same luminosity, mass, and radius like the sun; it is also some 56.2 light years distant.
- Fade out star- The fade out star or the R coronae Borealis is a super giant star which has a magnitude of 6.46 and is 6000 light years away. This star is known to serve as prototype star for the RCB variables. Reverse nova is another name for this fade out star.
- Kappa coronae borealis- A orange subgiant star belonging to the spectral class; it has a giant planet that was discovered in its orbit in 2007.
Except for these, it has a few other notable stars also like the HD 144579, Eta Coronae Borealis, sigma coronae borealis, delta coronae borealis and the Nu coronae Borealis.