Octans
From Freepedia
| Octans | |
|---|---|
|
click for larger image | |
| Abbreviation | Oct |
| Genitive | Octantis |
| Symbology | the Octant |
| Right ascension | 22 h |
| Declination | −90° |
| Area | 291 sq. deg. Ranked 50th |
| Number of stars (magnitude < 3) | ?????? |
| Brightest star | (App. magnitude ??????) |
| Meteor showers | |
| Bordering constellations | |
| Visible at latitudes between +0° and −90° Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of October | |
| Circumpolar. | |
Octans (Latin for octant) is an inconspicuous constellation introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. It is notable mainly as the location of the south celestial pole. Its star Sigma Octantis (σ Oct) is the closest naked-eye star to the pole, but it is so faint that it is practically useless as a polar star for navigation purposes. Fortunately, the constellation Crux, the Southern Cross, points at the pole.
The constellation is circumpolar to the South Celestial Pole, so it can be seen in Southern Hemisphere skies during the evening in any month of the year. The Right Ascension and month of best visibility given are for the three brightest stars, which are at their highest in the sky during the evening in November.
History
Since Octans was introduced in the 17th century, and lies near the southern pole, it was not known to classical or early cultures, and so they produced no mythology concerning it.
Stars
- Stars with proper names:
- (σ Oct) 5.45 Polaris Australis
- Stars with Bayer designations:
- α Oct 5.13; β Oct 4.13; γ1 Oct 5.10; γ2 Oct 5.72; γ3 Oct 5.29; δ Oct 4.31; ε Oct 5.09; ζ Oct 5.43; θ Oct 4.78; η Oct 6.19; ι Oct 5.45; κ Oct 5.56; λ Oct 5.27; μ1 Oct 5.99; μ2 Oct 6.51; ν Oct 3.73; ξ Oct 5.32; π1 Oct 5.65; π2 Oct 5.65; ρ Oct 5.57; τ Oct 5.50; υ Oct 5.76; χ Oct 5.29; φ Oct 5.47; ψ Oct 5.49; ω Oct 5.88
|
Constellations introduced by Lacaille in 1763 |
| Antlia | Caelum | Circinus | Fornax | Horologium | Mensa | Microscopium | Norma | Octans | Pictor | Pyxis | Reticulum | Sculptor | Telescopium |
| The 88 modern Constellations |
| Andromeda | Antlia | Apus | Aquarius | Aquila | Ara | Aries | Auriga | Boötes | Caelum | Camelopardalis | Cancer | Canes Venatici | Canis Major | Canis Minor | Capricornus | Carina | Cassiopeia | Centaurus | Cepheus | Cetus | Chamaeleon | Circinus | Columba | Coma Berenices | Corona Australis | Corona Borealis | Corvus | Crater | Crux | Cygnus | Delphinus | Dorado | Draco | Equuleus | Eridanus | Fornax | Gemini | Grus | Hercules | Horologium | Hydra | Hydrus | Indus | Lacerta | Leo | Leo Minor | Lepus | Libra | Lupus | Lynx | Lyra | Mensa | Microscopium | Monoceros | Musca | Norma | Octans | Ophiuchus | Orion | Pavo | Pegasus | Perseus | Phoenix | Pictor | Pisces | Piscis Austrinus | Puppis | Pyxis | Reticulum | Sagitta | Sagittarius | Scorpius | Sculptor | Scutum | Serpens | Sextans | Taurus | Telescopium | Triangulum | Triangulum Australe | Tucana | Ursa Major | Ursa Minor | Vela | Virgo | Volans | Vulpecula |
