北冕座是现代88个星座和托勒密定义的48个星座之一。

古代人们就很熟悉这个星座内的显着恒星，在很多古文明中，它被看为一个皇冠或花冠。在希腊神话中，这顶皇冠是阿里阿德涅被特修斯抛弃后，酒神狄俄尼索斯送给她的。北冕座内包括7颗星等在+2到+4的恒星。尽管这个区域内有许多的星系/深空天体。但就算使用小型望远镜也无法看见它们。

Corona Borealis is a small constellation in the Northern Celestial Hemisphere. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its brightest stars form a semicircular arc. Its Latin name, inspired by its shape, means "northern crown". In classical mythology Corona Borealis generally represented the crown given by the god Dionysus to the Cretan princess Ariadne and set by him in the heavens. Other cultures likened the pattern to a circle of elders, an eagle's nest, a bear's den, or even a smokehole. Ptolemy also listed a southern counterpart, Corona Australis, with a similar pattern.