Corona Australis is a summer constellation for northern observers. It is a semi-circle of stars located south of Sagittarius, below the Teapot and east of the tail of Scorpius. It is prominent in the southern skies, since it lies on the fringe of the Milky Way.
History and Mythology
Corona Australis was listed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. Its curved shape has associated it with a crown or garland in western mythology. Perhaps this crown was once worn by the centaur Chiron, or perhaps it belonged to Ariadne. To the Chinese, Corona Australis is a tortoise.
Notable Objects
There are no stars in Corona Australis brighter than 4th magnitude.
Corona Australis contains several interesting double stars and globular clusters. NGC 6496 and NGC 6541 are both globular clusters in the southwestern corner of the constellation. NGC 6726 and NGC 6727 form a complex of dark and bright nebulosity in the shape of a figure-8.