Camelopardalis and Perseus (Roll over image for labels)   HOME INDEX BACK NEXT
 

It is sometimes said that the constellation Camelopardalis, the giraffe, looks nothing at all like a giraffe. This is not entirely true; part of the problem is that the stars of Camelopardalis are dim. As shown by the constellation lines in the rollover image, with some effort you can trace out the long front and back legs and a long neck.

Actually, the much brighter contellation Perseus has also always reminded me of a giraffe. Because these two constellations are similar in size and shape, I use Perseus as a guide to help locate the dim stars of Camelopardalis. I think of them as a pair of giraffes in the northern sky.

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Image details:  12 images, each 90 seconds at ISO 1600, taken with a Canon 400D camera at a focal length of 35 mm.

January 2012