Camelopardalis

Camelopardalis is a large but faint constellation in the northern sky near Polaris. Despite its considerable size, it contains no stars brighter than fourth magnitude. It does contain the galaxy IC 342, one of the brightest galaxies outside our Local Group, though heavily obscured by Milky Way dust.

Location in the Sky

When to Observe

Camelopardalis is best observed during February. It is located in the NQ2 quadrant and is primarily visible from the northern hemisphere. The constellation contains 8 main stars forming its asterism, with 36 Bayer/Flamsteed designated stars in total. Its brightest star is Beta Camelopardalis.

Mythology & History

Camelopardalis was created by Petrus Plancius in 1613. The name means giraffe in Latin, from Greek words for camel and leopard, as ancients thought giraffes resembled a combination of both. Some sources link it to the camel that brought Rebecca to Isaac in the Bible, but this association is not widely accepted.