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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations » 

Crater (The Cup) Constellation

Altitude: -53.1°   Azimuth: 342.1°   Direction: North-North-West

Crater (pronounced ˈkreɪtər) is the Latin name of a constellation situated close to the celestial equator. As such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year.

In English language this constellation is also known as "The Cup" while in astronomical texts and literature this constellation is often abbreviated as "Crt" (according to the standard of the International Astronomical Union - IAU) or as "Crat" (according to a naming convention used by NASA).

The Latin genitive of the constellation name is "Crateris" (pronounced krəˈtɪərɪs) and it is used to identify some of the brightest stars in this constellation based on the Bayer or Flamsteed star naming convention. For instance: α Crateris (the brightest star of Crater based on the Bayer catalog); or 23 Crateris (the 23th star in the constellation of Crater based on the Flamsteed catalog).

Crater is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
Available Resources for Crater

Sky Chart of Crater Constellation

Here we provide a simplified sky chart of the Crater constellation. Alternatively it is possible to locate Crater in the night sky using our Online Interactive Planetarium.

Chart of  constellation
This constellation image is derivatve work based on original work by IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) CC-BY-3.0.

Visibility of Crater Constellation

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

Today's Crater rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 105.7°
Max altitude: 22.9°
Azimuth: 254.3°
Crater is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom

The rise and set times provided here are just directional indications and they refer to a point approximately placed at the center of the constellation. In case of very large constellations these times can have little relevance.

Bright Stars in Crater Constellation

The table below lists the top 20 brightest stars in the Crater constellation. See also the complete list of 33 stars brighter than magnitude 6.5 (approximate) in the constellation of Crater. Click on each star to see more details about it.

HR Number(*) Star designation Proper name Visual magnitude Color Notes
HR4382 δ Crateris 3.56
HR4287 α Crateris Alkes 4.08
HR4405 γ Crateris 4.08 Double;
HR4343 β Crateris 4.48
HR4468 θ Crateris 4.7
HR4514 ζ Crateris 4.73
HR4402 ε Crateris 4.83
HR4395 λ Crateris 5.09
HR4567 η Crateris 5.18 Variable;
HR4488 ι Crateris 5.48 Double;
HR4305 5.5 Double;
HR4255 5.66
HR4428 5.76 Multiple;
HR4289 5.88
HR4284 5.89
HR4416 κ Crateris 5.94 Double;
HR4446 5.95
HR4451 6.05
HR4315 6.09
HR4539 6.13
...go to the complete list of 33 bright stars in the constellation of Crater

(*) HR stands for Harvard Revised Bright Star Catalogue, which is also known as the Yale Catalogue of Bright Stars.

Deep Sky Objects in Crater Constellation

The table below lists the 20 brightest deep sky objects in the Crater constellation. See also the complete list of 116 deep sky objects in the constellation of Crater. The list includes objects from the Messier, New General Catalogue (NGC) and Index Catalogue (IC).

Name Type Magnitude
NGC 3402 Galaxy 9 (B)
NGC 3831 Galaxy 10.9 (B)
NGC 3887 Galaxy 11.4 (B)
NGC 3511 Galaxy 11.66 (B)
NGC 3672 Galaxy 11.9 (B)
NGC 3955 Galaxy 11.9 (V)
NGC 3962 Galaxy 12.16 (V)
NGC 3513 Galaxy 12.16 (B)
NGC 3892 Galaxy 12.21 (B)
IC 2627 Galaxy 12.67 (B)
NGC 3497 Galaxy 12.79 (B)
NGC 3544 Galaxy 12.81 (B)
NGC 3956 Galaxy 12.99 (B)
NGC 3905 Galaxy 13 (B)
NGC 3858 Galaxy 13 (B)
NGC 3667 Galaxy 13 (B)
NGC 3479 Galaxy 13 (B)
NGC 3636 Galaxy 13 (B)
NGC 3637 Galaxy 13 (B)
NGC 3715 Galaxy 13 (B)
...go to the complete list of 116 deep sky objects in the constellation of Crater