Corona Australis is the sparkling Southern Crown

Corona Australis the Southern Crown appears in the night sky as an arc of sparkling stars. That makes it one of the few constellations that fairly accurately resembles the object for which it’s named!

Ptolemy named Corona Australis in the 2nd century. Prior to that, ancient Greeks saw this constellation as a wreath, while other civilizations saw a turtle or ostrich nest.

Seeing Corona Australis from the Northern Hemisphere

Corona Australis is easiest to see in the evening during Northern Hemisphere summer: June to September. Look southward from the Northern Hemisphere to find it. It’s quite dim. No matter what part of Earth you’re standing on, when you begin your search for its stars, you’ll want to be under a dark sky.

But if your sky is dark, it’s relatively easy to pick out, even from Northern Hemisphere locations, where we see it low in the southern sky. That’s because Corona Australis lies near another prominent star pattern. It’s south of the iconic Teapot asterism in the constellation Sagittarius the Archer. Plus another prominent pattern, the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion, is nearby. Its bright, reddish star Antares and hooked “tail” make it easy to spot.

If your sky is dark, you’ll find the Teapot in front of the richest part of the Milky Way, the edgewise view into our own galaxy. Look south of the Teapot (below it from the Northern Hemisphere) to see Corona Australis.

Seeing Corona Australis from the Southern Hemisphere

Finding Corona Australis is even easier from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere, although you still need that dark sky.

For southern stargazers, Corona Australis passes high overhead during the winter months: June through September. Look up during the evening hours, in a dark sky away from city lights.

First locate Sagittarius. Look high in the sky for the iconic Teapot asterism inside Sagittarius. If your sky is dark, it’ll be easy to see near the richest part of the starry band of the Milky Way. Also notice Scorpius nearby; its bright, reddish star, Antares, and hooked “tail” make it easy to spot.

Scan directly south of the Teapot. Look for a distinct, tight semi-circle or arc of dim stars. This arc is Corona Australis.

Unlike many constellations that require imagination, Corona Australis actually looks like a small, delicate crown or wreath.

The stars of Corona Australis

Just like its northern cousin, Corona Borealis, Corona Australis forms an arc. But it’s a faint arc. The Southern Crown’s brightest stars are a mere magnitude 4.11, meaning you need a dark sky to see them.

The star Beta Coronae Australis shines at the eastern edge of the constellation, near the middle of the arc shape. The star lies 474 light-years distant.

The next star to the north in the arc is Alpha Coronae Australis. It is some 125 light-years distant. Continuing in the same direction along the arc is Gamma Coronae Australis, 58 light-years away. Then 1.5 degrees west of this star is Epsilon Coronae Australis, 98 light-years away. Finally, the last notable star on this side of the arc is just over 3 degrees away, Lambda Coronae Australis at 202 light-years distant.

Heading the other direction from Beta is Delta Coronae Australis, at a distance of 175 light-years. Next out is Zeta Coronae Australis, 184 light-years away. At the end of the crown is a double star system, Eta 1 and 2 Coronae Australis, at magnitude 5.46 and 347 light-years away, and magnitude 5.60 and 607 light-years distant, respectively.

So you see when you gaze toward Corona Australis, you are looking not tens, but hundreds of light-years away in space!

Check out this lovely deep-sky image of nebulae in Corona Australis by Hector Rafael Vazquez Rispoli in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Bottom line: Corona Australis is a dim constellation lying below the Teapot asterism of Sagittarius. Its sparkling, curving shape befits its name.

Don’t miss the next unmissable night sky event. Sign up to EarthSky’s free newsletter for daily night sky updates.

Read more: Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, is overhead now