dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (01/17/86)
There are two tiny constellations in the southern sky this month. More on the hare and the dove -- after this. January 17 The Hare and the Dove The southern sky this month contains some powerful mythological figures -- including Orion the hunter and his big and little dogs. Squeezed in among these constellations are two peace-loving creatures that seems out-of-place among their brave companions -- Lepus the hare and Columba the dove. Lepus and Columba are both directly south of Orion. But because they're low in the southern sky and faint, you'll need a star chart and a dark sky to find them. Lepus the hare is crouched at the feet of Orion -- no doubt hoping that the hunter won't look down. The constellation looks something like a little dipper with three handles instead of one. Lepus is small but has one claim to fame -- the celebrated Hind's Crimson Star. This is a red variable star that changes dramatically in brightness over about a 400-day period. It has been known to become bright enough to see with the naked eye -- though generally it's too faint to be seen without a telescope or binoculars. The man who discovered it, John Russell Hind, described the star in 1845 as "resembling a blood-drop on the background of the sky." Its color was so deep, he said, no other star could compare. The dove, Columba, is even closer to the southern horizon than the constellation Lepus. Columba is marked by four tiny stars that resemble an unfinished letter W. Despite its diminutive size, Columba has an esteemed place in skylore -- as the dove that flew from Noah's Ark. Script by Deborah Byrd. (c) Copyright 1985, 1986 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin