Katarokoya

Authors: Youla Azkarrula

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Lokono constellation: Katarokoya in the planetarium software Stellarium (CC-BY Konrad Rybka)

Katarokoya (Katarokoya)

Asterism Info
Native	Katarokoya
Romanisation	Katarokoya
Translation	Spirit of green sea turtle
Position (2000)
Right ascension	225.408175 to 255.072389
Declination	15.4218193 to 46.3133617
Area	533.78 sq. deg.
Stars
Bright stars	99
Bayer/Flamsteed stars	64
Stars brighter than 3.00m	5
Brightest star	Alphecca (2.24m)
Taxonomy
category of asterism	constellation
IAU- constellations	Her, Ser, CrB, Bootes

Katarokoya is an Arawakan constellation name from Lokono. This constellation is referring to spirit of the green sea turtle.

Etymology and History

Spelling Variants

• Katarhokoya

Origin of Constellation

The term kataro (Chelonia mydas) appears to be a term borrowed from Kari’na. However, there are several species of turtles in the Guianas, thus kataro and kasipeni can also refer to different species, and their spirits be identified with different constellations. The constellation Katarhokoya ‘Spirit of the green sea turtle’ is still known on the Pomeroon River in Guyana. It represents the katarho turtle (Chelonia mydas), swimming towards the shore, represented in turn by the Milky Way. When the constellation appears in the morning high in the sky, it is a signal that turtles are arriving on the beaches to lay eggs. The constellation was identified in earlier sources as Corona Borealis and Orion's belt. While the former overlaps with the stars indicated by the Lokono on the Pomeroon, the latter is likely a mistake as Orion’s belt is consistently recognized as Mabukuli ‘Man without a thigh’. The constellation Katarhokoya rises early in the year, but it appears upside down most of the time from the vistas of the Lokono in the Guianas. Only by mid-March, a time when several species of turtles indeed lay their eggs on the Atlantic coast of the Guianas, does it look like a turtle swimming to the shore (Milky Way).

All HIP Stars within this constellation

Convex Hull for the stars inside Katarokoya (CC BY Konrad Rybka).

id	Label	IAU design.	description	Vmag
1	Alphecca	HIP 76267	Constellation lines	2.24
2	Kornephoros	HIP 80816	Constellation lines (Vertex)	2.77
3	ζ Herculis	HIP 81693	Constellation lines	2.8
4	* zet Her A	HIP 81693	Constellation lines	2.88
5	* zet Her B	* zet Her B	Inside the hull	2.94
6	δ Boötis	HIP 74666	Constellation lines	3.49
7	η Herculis	HIP 81833	Constellation lines	3.5
8	Zhou	HIP 77233	Constellation lines (Vertex)	3.67
9	Nusakan	HIP 75695	Constellation lines	3.68
10	γ Herculis	HIP 80170	Constellation lines (Vertex)	3.76
11	γ Serpentis	HIP 78072	Constellation lines (Vertex)	3.84
12	τ Herculis	HIP 79992	Constellation lines (Vertex)	3.87
13	ϵ Herculis	HIP 83207	Constellation lines (Vertex)	3.92
14	* gam CrB A	HIP 76952	Constellation lines	4.05
15	Gudja	HIP 77450	Constellation lines	4.09
16	ϵ Coronae Borealis	HIP 78159	Constellation lines	4.13
17	θ Coronae Borealis	HIP 76127	Inside the hull	4.13
18	σ Herculis	HIP 81126	Constellation lines (Vertex)	4.196
19	ϕ Herculis	HIP 79101	Constellation lines	4.27
20	* tet CrB A	HIP 76127	Inside the hull	4.3
21	Alkalurops	HIP 75411	Constellation lines (Vertex)	4.31
22	ι Serpentis	HIP 76852	Inside the hull	4.505
23	χ Herculis	HIP 77760	Inside the hull	4.62
24	δ Coronae Borealis	HIP 77512	Constellation lines	4.63
25	τ Coronae Borealis	HIP 79119	Inside the hull	4.73
26	ρ Serpentis	HIP 77661	Inside the hull	4.78
27	π Serpentis	HIP 78554	Inside the hull	4.817
28	κ Coronae Borealis	HIP 77655	Inside the hull	4.82
29	ξ Coronae Borealis	HIP 80181	Inside the hull	4.849
30	ι Coronae Borealis	HIP 78493	Inside the hull	4.971
31	ζ 1 Coronae Borealis	HIP 76669	Inside the hull	4.979
32	η 1 Coronae Borealis	HIP 75312	Inside the hull	4.98
33	30 Her	HIP 80704	Inside the hull	5.01
34	μ Coronae Borealis	HIP 76307	Inside the hull	5.11
35	-	HIP 78481	Inside the hull	5.11
36	ν 1 Coronae Borealis	HIP 80197	Inside the hull	5.2
37	ϕ Boötis	HIP 76534	Inside the hull	5.254
38	53 Her	HIP 82587	Inside the hull	5.333
39	50 Boo	HIP 75178	Inside the hull	5.372
40	2 Her	HIP 77907	Inside the hull	5.38
41	ρ Coronae Borealis	HIP 78459	Inside the hull	5.38
42	ν 2 Coronae Borealis	HIP 80214	Inside the hull	5.39
43	λ Coronae Borealis	HIP 78012	Inside the hull	5.424
44	QY Ser	HIP 77902	Inside the hull	5.44
45	-	HIP 75572	Inside the hull	5.45
46	-	HIP 80008	Inside the hull	5.48
47	ο Coronae Borealis	HIP 75049	Inside the hull	5.51
48	-	HIP 75257	Inside the hull	5.532
49	25 Her	HIP 80460	Inside the hull	5.54
50	* sig CrB A	HD 146361	Inside the hull	5.55
51	* gam CrB B	HIP 76952	Inside the hull	5.56
52	π Coronae Borealis	HIP 77048	Inside the hull	5.575
53	* eta CrB A	HIP 75312	Inside the hull	5.577
54	-	HIP 78276	Inside the hull	5.586
55	-	HIP 79358	Inside the hull	5.615
56	16 Her	HIP 79666	Inside the hull	5.69
57	10 Her	HIP 79349	Inside the hull	5.7
58	R CrB	HIP 77442	Inside the hull	5.71
59	50 Her	HIP 82422	Inside the hull	5.72
60	4 Her	HIP 77986	Inside the hull	5.75
61	-	HIP 80898	Inside the hull	5.754
62	υ Coronae Borealis	HIP 79757	Inside the hull	5.779
63	τ 7 Serpentis	HIP 76878	Inside the hull	5.792
64	-	HIP 75143	Inside the hull	5.8
65	M 13	M 13	Inside the hull	5.8
66	-	HIP 78649	Inside the hull	5.804
67	-	HIP 79357	Inside the hull	5.868
68	39 Her	HIP 81729	Inside the hull	5.916
69	* 7 CrB B	HR 5833	Inside the hull	5.93
70	* eta CrB B	HIP 75312	Inside the hull	5.95
71	-	HIP 74561	Inside the hull	5.974
72	-	HIP 81911	Inside the hull	6.01
73	-	HIP 75674	Inside the hull	6.02
74	-	HIP 80021	Inside the hull	6.038
75	-	HIP 76617	Inside the hull	6.13
76	τ 8 Serpentis	HIP 77111	Inside the hull	6.136
77	-	HIP 79686	Inside the hull	6.136
78	-	HIP 78985	Inside the hull	6.14
79	-	HIP 82426	Inside the hull	6.158
80	-	HIP 74514	Inside the hull	6.187
81	-	HIP 77835	Inside the hull	6.22
82	-	HIP 77995	Inside the hull	6.257
83	-	HIP 80888	Inside the hull	6.26
84	-	HIP 76366	Inside the hull	6.28
85	-	HIP 77782	Inside the hull	6.28
86	* tet CrB B	HIP 76127	Inside the hull	6.29
87	-	HIP 78153	Inside the hull	6.297
88	-	HIP 79350	Inside the hull	6.3
89	-	HIP 75000	Inside the hull	6.311
90	-	HIP 73941	Inside the hull	6.351
91	-	HIP 79385	Inside the hull	6.388
92	-	HIP 76006	Inside the hull	6.39
93	-	HIP 77397	Inside the hull	6.39
94	23 Her	HIP 80247	Inside the hull	6.404
95	* sig CrB B	HR 6064	Inside the hull	6.42
96	-	HIP 75919	Inside the hull	6.452
97	-	HIP 76456	Inside the hull	6.46
98	-	HR 6052	Inside the hull	6.5
99	-	HIP 79248	Inside the hull	6.61

IAU Working Group on Star Names

In March 2026, it has been proposed to use the name "Katarokoya" for a star in the area to preserve the Lokono heritage. The star ups Corona Borealis (υ CrB, HIP 79757). The identification with a star in Corona Borealis was identified earlier and is still known on the Pomeroon River in Guyana.

References

• References (general)