Corvus

Corvus is a small constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for raven or crow. It includes only 11 stars visible to the naked eye (brighter than magnitude 4.02). It was one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy, who only counted 7 stars, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. ... Stars. Four principal stars, δ, γ, ε, and β Crv, form an asterism known as "the "Spica's Spanker" or "the Sail". γ and δ serve as pointers toward Spica. The four brightest stars in Corvus are mostly unremarkable. Alpha Corvi, also called Alchiba, is a white-hued star of magnitude 4.0, 40 light-years from Earth. Beta Corvi is a yellow-hued giant star of magnitude 2.7, 140 light-years from Earth. Gamma Corvi, also called Gienah, is the brightest star in Corvus at magnitude 2.6. 165 light-years from Earth, it is a blue-white hued giant star. Its traditional name means "wing". Delta Corvi, traditionally called Algorab, is a double star divisible in small amateur telescopes. The primary is a blue-white hued star of magnitude 2.9, 88 light-years from Earth. The secondary is a purple-tinged star of magnitude 9. Its common name means "the raven". ... Deep-sky objects. Corvus contains no Messier objects. The Antennae peculiar galaxy, NGC 4038 and 4039, consists of two interacting galaxies that appear to have a heart shape as seen from Earth. The name originates from the huge tidal tails that come off the ends of the two galaxies, formed because of the spiral galaxies' original rotation. Both original galaxies were spiral galaxies and are now experiencing extensive star formation due to the interaction of gas clouds. The galaxies are 45 million light-years from Earth and each has multiple ultraluminous X-ray sources, the source of which is unknown. Astronomers theorize that they may be a rare type of x-ray emitting binary stars or intermediate-mass black holes. The Antennae galaxies appear in a telescope at the 10th magnitude. The center of Corvus is home to a planetary nebula NGC 4361. The nebula itself resembles a small elliptical galaxy, but the magnitude 13 star at its centre gives away its true nature. [Corvus (constellation). Wikipedia]