Chart showing the constellation.
Crater is an ancient constellation representing the goblet of Apollo, and is a companion to Corvus the Crow on the back of Hydra the Water Snake.
To find Crater look north in the evening to find the bright stars Regulus and Spica. Find the distinctive quadrilateral of Corvus, and look west to find the upside-down cup or sundae dish shape.
α (Alkes) is a magnitude 4.1 yellow giant star 174 light years away.
β Crt is a magnitude 4.5 blue-white star 266 years away
γ Crt is a close double star of magnitudes 4 and 9 with colours of pale yellow, and ashy. They lie about 84 light-years away.
δ Crt is a pale yellow star magnitude 3.55 and about 195 light-years away.
Visibility
Being some distance south of the celestial equator, Crater remains visible in the evening from New Zealand until August when it will be low to the west as the sky darkens after sunset.
