Pronunciation:

(ka-MEL-oh-POR-duh-lis)

Abbreviation:

Cam

  Genitive:

Camelopardalis

Right Ascension:

6 hours

  Declination:

70 degrees

Area in Square Degrees:

757

Crosses Meridian:

9 PM, February 1

Visible Between Latitudes:

90 and -10 degrees

The constellation Camelopardalis, the giraffe, can be seen most of the year in the northern hemisphere. It is visible at latitudes north of -10 degrees. It is a fairly large constellation that occupies a total area of 757 square degrees. This makes it the 18th largest constellation in the night sky. It is bordered by the constellations Auriga, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Draco, Lynx, Perseus, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor. Camelopardalis is a circumpolar constellation which means it is visible all night as it rotates around the north celestial pole. It contains a star formation known as Kemble’s Cascade. This asterism forms a cascade of about 20 dim stars spread out in a straight line.

There are no myths associated with Camelopardalis. The ancient Greeks thought that this region of the sky was empty. Camelopardalis is one of 12 constellations named by the Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius based on observations by Dutch navigators. Plancius included it on his celestial globe and a year later, in 1624, it was featured in a star atlas created by German astronomer Jakob Bartsch. This constellation was first observed to look like a camel. Bartsch originally described it as the animal Rebecca rode to marry Isaac in the Bible. The name was eventually changed to camelopardalis, which is Latin for giraffe. When dark conditions allow most of the stars to be seen, the constellation does resemble a giraffe.