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Anna Karenina vocabulary
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Capella
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synonyms: goat star ???
tags: [astronomy]
► definition
Definition:designated α Aurigae (Latinized to Alpha Aurigae, abbreviated Alpha Aur, α Aur), is the brightest star in the constellation of Auriga, the sixth-brightest star in the night sky, and the third-brightest in the northern celestial hemisphere after Arcturus and Vega. A prominent object in the northern winter sky, it is circumpolar to observers north of 44°N. Its name meaning "little goat" in Latin, Capella depicted the goat Amalthea that suckled Zeus in classical mythology. Capella is relatively close, at only 42.9 light-years (13.2 pc) from the Sun.text from Wikipedia, licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike
photo: By Igor Dvurekov, CC BY-SA 3.0 (arrow added by ajvocab.com) https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31176570
► uses
Uses:
Over the snow-covered roofs could be seen a decorated cross with chains, and above it the rising triangle of Charles’s Wain with the yellowish light of Capella.
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I will tell you how to find Capella. Suppose you had a gun that would shoot anything as far as you wish. Shoot a white string right through the Pointers and hit the Pole star. Then place your gun at the Pole star and turn it till it is at right angles to that string you shot. Aim away from the big Dipper, shoot a bullet forty-five degrees and it will hit Capella.
If that plan doesn't work, try this. Start with the star that is at the bottom of the Dipper and nearest the handle. Draw a line half-way between the two Pointers and keep on till you come to the first bright star. This is Capella, and the distance is about fifty degrees.
Capella means "a kid," or "little goat," and that reminds me of the third reason why I enjoy so much the constellation of which Capella is the brightest star.
Julia Ellen Rogers. Earth and Sky Every Child Should Know (1910)
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