Lynx is reasonably large (ranking 28th of 88), but surprisingly dim, and is named for the exceptional acuity needed just to see this constellation. With only a meander of 3rd and 4th magnitude stars to mark its presence, it was probably designated simply to fill the gap between Ursa Major and Gemini. For the telescopic observer, there are a handful of double stars and an edge-on spiral NGC 2683, along with many faint galaxies. Also here is one of the most distant globular clusters known, NGC 2419, dubbed the “Intergalactic Tramp” by Harlow Shapley.

Leo Minor is directly east of Lynx, but about half its size. Oddly, Beta LMi, despite being the only one with a Greek letter, is not even the brightest star. The paucity of notable deep sky objects is due to ithe constellation's position, well-off the plane of the Milky Way and nearly opposite our galaxy’s center in Sagittarius. Targets for the small telescope include galaxies NGC 3344 and the edge-on NGC 3003. But located on the periphery of the Ursa Major-Virgo clusters to the east, there are numerous faint and challenging galaxies. Christian Luginbuhl and Brian Skiff’s Observing Handbook and Catalog of Deep-sky Objects lists 21 galaxies of 11 and 12th magnitude.
 

Although named by Johannes Helevius in the late 17th century (as were Lynx and Leo Minor), Canes Venatici is the only one of the trio that has any true connection to ancient mythology: it is Latin for the leashed hunting dogs, Asterion and Chara, of herdsman Boötes. The brightest star, called Cor Caroli (“heart of Charles”) by Edmund Halley for the kings of England, is actually a fine double. While similar in size to Lynx, Canes Venatici is far better endowed with deep sky objects, even for binoculars and small telescopes. “La Superba,” technically known as Y CVn, is a deep red, semi-regular variable star. There are five Messier objects, including the Whirlpool (M51, NGC 5194 and 5195) and the Sunflower (M63, NGC 5055) galaxies, as well as two other spirals M94 (NGC 4736), and M106 (NGC 4258). Here too is the bright globular cluster, M3 (NGC 5272). David Eicher’s The Universe from Your Backyard provides a readable, illustrated overview. And there is plenty more for the large telescope: George Kepple and Glen Sanner’s The Night Sky Observer’s Guide, Volume 2 Spring & Summer, includes over 60 additional NGC galaxies.

In comparison with the other dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor) and cat (Leo the Lion) of the sky, these "pet" constellations are much fainter and nowhere near as interesting. But on close inspection, these three constellations have much to offer for such a dim region of the sky. And at nightfall this time of year, they are ideally placed overhead. So while waiting for the bigger, brighter and more bizarre beasts of the summer sky to appear, these three “empty” regions of the sky  definitely represent a worthy challenge for the observing enthusiast.

Moondark is written by Doug Miller, published at the Moondark web site, and printed in the Delmarva Star Gazers' Star Gazer News. This document was last revised on 22 June 2006. Text and images copyright © 2006 by Douglas C. Miller, All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without prior permission.