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Corona BorealisLocation: Northern HemisphereCoordinates: Right Ascension: 16h Declination: +30º Source: Greek mythology, also Arab, Native American, Aborigine  The story behind the name: The open circlet of stars known as the constellation Corona Borealis was noticed by many civilizations, but only the Greeks saw it as a crown or wreath. Middle East civilizations saw it as a broken or cracked dish. Australian aboriginals saw a boomerang. A myth of the Shawnee tribe of Native Americans saw the pattern as a group of dancing star maidens. The circle is incomplete because one of the maidens fell in love with a mortal warrior and returned to Earth to live with him.
The original constellation associated with Ariadne's crown is probably the Corona Australis (southern crown). This fairly dim constellation was one of the original 48 identified by Ptolemy in the 2nd century A.D. In modern usage, the story of Ariadne is associated with Corona Borealis. Ariadne's crown is known to be a specific type of woman's hair ornament fashioned from gold in the shape of a wreath with jeweled roses. It is described in Plutarch's story about Theseus, and a crown of this type was found in an ancient Greek treasure cache. Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos of Crete, who, according to one legend, kept the ferocious Minotaur (half human, half bull) in a labyrinth under his palace. Every ninth year, seven young men and seven young women from Athens were sacrificed to the Minotaur to appease the death of Minos' son. Theseus, a son of the sea god Poseidon and a human mother, displayed heroic traits from an early age. Some stories say he volunteered, some stories say he was chosen: but seeing the grief of the young Athenian sacrifices, Theseus decided to join them and defeat the Minotaur.
Other versions of these myths tell totally different stories, including versions with no Minotaur, or in which Ariadne dies or does not marry Dionysus. These other versions make no mention of the supposed origin of the constellation Corona Borealis. Introduction to Constellations | Constellation Sources | Constellations Index Objects observed by Chandra in Corona Borealis:
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Revised: August 30, 2006
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