Corvus
The compact crow of the spring sky
Best on March–May evenings · southern sky.
Corvus is a small but surprisingly tidy constellation — a neat quadrilateral of four moderately bright stars that looks genuinely like a crouching bird. It sits in the southern sky between Virgo and Hydra, and spring evenings are its moment to shine. Despite its modest size, it's one of the easier shapes to recognize once you know to look for it.
How to find it
On spring evenings, face south and find brilliant Spica, the blue-white anchor of Virgo. Swing your gaze a fist-width or so to the southwest and you'll run straight into Corvus — a compact, slightly lopsided quadrilateral of four stars that stands out cleanly against a faint background. Northern hemisphere observers will find it low in the south, while from the southern hemisphere it rides satisfyingly high.
Brightest stars
Blue-white Gienah leads the quad at magnitude 2.59, with Kraz close behind at 2.65 — the two are nearly twin beacons marking adjacent corners. Algorab (2.95) and Minkar (3.00) fill out the figure, while Alchiba, the alpha star, is actually the faintest named member at 4.02.
Worth seeing
The four-star quadrilateral itself is the reward — it's one of those rare asterisms that genuinely holds its shape and pops cleanly from the surrounding sky, making Corvus easy to confirm once you've star-hopped to the right patch of spring sky.
Frequently asked
When is Corvus visible?
Spring evenings, roughly March through May, when it climbs into the southern sky. It's best placed for observers in the southern hemisphere, but northern observers can catch it low in the south on clear spring nights.
What are the brightest stars in Corvus?
Gienah (magnitude 2.59) and Kraz (2.65) are the two brightest, nearly matched, followed by Algorab (2.95) and Minkar (3.00) — all four form the constellation's distinctive quadrilateral.
Which hemisphere is Corvus best seen from?
It favors the southern hemisphere, where it rides high on spring evenings. Northern observers can still spot it, but it hugs the southern horizon and benefits from a flat, unobstructed view.
Nearby constellations
Virgo · Hydra · Centaurus · Crux · Leo · Libra · Carina · Scorpius