Delphinus

Star References
1. Gamma Delphini: A double star divisible with a small telescope into two components of mag. 4.3 and 5.2, yellow and white respectively. Both stars are about 100 light-years away. A tighter pair of 8th-mag stars (not shown), called Struve 2725, should be visible as well. They are about 125 light-years away.
2. Alpha Delphini: One of the brightest stars in the constellation; mag. 3.8. Common name Sualocin.
3. Beta Delphini: The other bright star in the constellation; mag. 3.6. Common name Rotanev.

Deep-Sky Objects

Nova Delphini
A nova that flared to naked-eye brightness in 1967. It is not now visible with the naked eye, but may be detectable with a telescope.

Mythology

Delphinus represents a dolphin or porpoise and is connected with two Greek myths. In one, it is the dolphin that Poseidon the sea god sent to get his bride Amphitrite, a sea nymph. In another story, it is the dolphin that saved the poet and musician Arion when he was attacked by thieves while on a ship.

Interesting Facts

1. The two brightest stars of this constellation, Alpha and Beta Delphini, bear the common names Sualocin and Rotanev. When the sequence of letters is reversed, the names spell Nicolaus Venator, the Latinized version of the name of Italian astronomer Niccolò Cacciatore. he named the stars after himself in the 19th century in a creative enough way that his designations stuck.

Created by Dan Corbett, Kate Stafford, and Patrick Wright for ThinkQuest.