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Constellation
Corvus - The Crow
Object name: Corvus
Equatorial: RA: 12h 28m 16s Dec: -13°21'46"(current)
Equatorial 2000: RA: 12h 28m 00s Dec: -13°20'00"
Sky Database: Constellation
Abbreviation: Crv
Constellation: Genitive Form: Corvi
Description: The Crow
Pronunciation: KAWR' vuhs
Genitive Pronunciation: KAWR' vy
Mythology
Corvus the crow, was the servant of Apollo.
Preparing to make a sacrifice to Zeus, Apollo sent the crow to fill
a cup with water from a stream. On his way the crow spotted a fig
tree whose fruit was not yet ripe. He stopped and waited several
days while the fruit ripened. After the crow had gorged himself on
figs, he returned to Apollo with the story that a snake had
prevented him from taking water from the stream. Apollo immediately
saw through the crow's lie and condemned the bird to endless thirst.
This story neatly accounts for the rasping sound made by crows. The
crow is commemorated in the sky by the constellation
Corvus and the
cup and snake by the neighboring constellations of Crater and
Hydra,
respectively.
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