By IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Corvus
"The Crow"
Abbreviation: Crv
Genitive: Corvi
Constellation family: Hercules
Nearest constellations: Crater, Hydra, and Virgo
Right ascension: 12.46h
Declination: 13.33°
Visible between latitudes: +60° and -90°
Square degrees: 184
Luminary: Gienah (Gamma Corvi)
Named stars: Gienah, Alchiba, Minkar, Algorab
Notable deep sky objects: NGC 4362, Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038 and NGC 4039)
About
By Alexander Jamieson (United States Naval Observatory Library) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Corvus is a small constellation in the Southern Hemisphere that is best seen in May.
Mythology
In Greek mythology, Corvus represents a crow or raven sent by Apollo to fetch water and bring it back to him. However, the crow wasted time eating figs instead of returning to the god immediately, and Apollo punished it with eternal thirst. The Greeks thought that this thirst was the reason why crows produce loud, rough caws instead of the sweeter songs of other birds.
Gallery of objects in Corvus
Antennae Galaxies (interacting galaxies NGC 4038 and NGC 4039):
By ESA/Hubble [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
NGC 4361 (planetary nebula):
By Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona [CC-BY-SA-3.0-us], via Wikimedia Commons
Elliptical galaxy in the Capodimonte Deep Field:
