When is the best time to observe Minkar?

Minkar is best observed from February through April, with peak visibility during March when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is Minkar located in the sky?

Minkar lies in the constellation Corvus at right ascension 12h 10m and declination -22° 37′.

What telescope do I need to see Minkar?

At magnitude 3.0, Minkar is visible to the naked eye from dark skies, easy in any binoculars.

Minkar — Star in Corvus

Epsilon Crv

Magnitude 3.0^m Star Corvus (Crv) Visible

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About Minkar

Description

Minkar (Epsilon Corvi) is an orange giant of spectral type K2.5III at magnitude 3.0 in Corvus. Located about 303 light-years from Earth, it has a surface temperature of about 4,400 K and is a fairly luminous evolved star. Minkar represents the beak of the Crow.

Observing Tips

Minkar lies just outside the main trapezoidal body of Corvus, marking the crow's beak or the upper part of the constellation figure. It is a warm orange star visible in the same binocular field as the four brighter stars of the Corvus quadrilateral. Best observed from March through June when Corvus is well-placed in the southern evening sky.

History

The name Minkar comes from the Arabic 'al-minqar,' meaning 'the beak' of the crow or raven. Corvus is one of the 48 original Ptolemaic constellations. In the Greek myth, Apollo sent a crow to fetch water, but the crow delayed and brought back excuses — Apollo punished it by placing it in the sky next to the cup (Crater) forever out of the water snake's (Hydra's) reach.

Fun Facts

The Corvus quadrilateral is surprisingly easy to spot despite its modest star brightnesses, because it lies in an otherwise fairly empty stretch of sky between Virgo and Hydra. Epsilon Crv extends the figure into a more bird-like shape when included with the four main stars.