The Northern Crown is a beautiful star pattern in May -

Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, with its brightest star Alphecca. In fact, this time of the year is perfect to see this semicircle of stars in the evening sky. Image via Fred Espenak/ AstroPixels. Used with permission.

The Northern Crown graces the summer skies

Tonight, look for a constellation that’s easy to see on the sky’s dome, if your sky is dark enough. Corona Borealis – aka the Northern Crown – is exciting to find. In fact, it’s easy to pick out as an almost-perfect semicircle of stars. You’ll find this beautiful star pattern in the evening sky from now until October.

Plus, the constellation Corona Borealis is easy to find since it’s located more or less along a line between two bright stars. The first is Arcturus in the constellation Boötes the Herdsman and the second is Vega in the constellation Lyra the Harp.

Star chart showing stars Vega and Arcturus in corners and small semicircle of stars between them, all labeled. — After nightfall and in the early evening, you’ll see Arcturus fairly high in the east, noticeable for its brightness and yellow-orange color. Next, look for Vega rather low in the northeast. It’s a bright blue-white star. Then look for the Northern Crown between these 2 bright stars. It’s a bit closer to Arcturus.

However, you’ll need a fairly dark sky to clearly see Corona Borealis between Vega and Arcturus. Then, once you find the semicircle of stars, it’s very noticeable.

The brightest star of the Northern Crown

The brightest star in Corona Borealis is Alphecca, also known as Gemma, sometimes called the Pearl of the Crown. The name Alphecca originated with a description of Corona Borealis as the “broken one.” This was in reference to the fact that these stars appear in a semicircle, rather than a full circle. Alphecca is a blue-white star, with an intrinsic luminosity some 60 times that of our sun. It’s located about 75 light-years from Earth.

Grid with dots and lines showing star patterns. — The C-shaped – or semicircle – constellation Corona Borealis shines between the constellations Boötes and Hercules. Image via IAU. Used with permission.

Watch for a ‘new star’ in the Northern Crown

T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB, is located 3,000 light-years away from Earth. It is a recurring nova with outbursts about every 80 years. Its last outburst was in 1946, and astronomers believe another will occur between February and September 2024.

The star system, normally of magnitude +10, is far too dim to see with the unaided eye. When the nova occurs, it will jump to around magnitude +2. That is roughly the same brightness to the North Star, Polaris.

Once its brightness peaks, it should be visible to the unaided eye for several days and just over a week with binoculars before it dims again, possibly for another 80 years.

Star chart of Corona Borealis, stars in black on white, with red circle indicating location of star TCrB. — Star chart of Corona Borealis with red circle indicating location of star T CrB. Image via IAU/ Wikipedia/ (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Man on rooftop of city looking at outlines of several labeled constellations drawn onto night sky. — View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Prateek Pandey in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, captured this photo of Boötes, Virgo and Corona Borealis on March 5, 2021. He wrote: “Spring constellations twinkling in the eastern horizon.” Thank you, Prateek!

Bottom line: Look for Corona Borealis – the Northern Crown – between the brilliant stars Arcturus and Vega tonight! In fact, this constellation is very noticeable, if you have a dark sky.

Read more: A ‘new star’ from a nova outburst is expected soon

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Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. “Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers,” she says.

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