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Latin Name:
Circinus |
English Name:
Pair of Compasses |
Cir |
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Pair of Compasses
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Neighboring Constellations:
Aps Cen Lup Mus Nor TrA |
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| Culmination at midnight: |
| 1 May |
| Declination range: |
| 71°S ... 55°S |
| Area in the sky: |
| 93°2 |
| Visibility from Europe: |
| always below horizon |
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| Atlas (2000.0) | | Chart |
| Cambridge Star Atlas | : |
17, 20 |
| Sky Atlas | : |
21, 25, 26 |
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History:
In 1752 the French astronomer Lacaille introduced this inconspicuous
constellation. It represents a pair of compasses which together with
Norma (the rule) should remind on the navigation tools of the seamen.
[bk7]
Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille was born 1713 in Rumigny,
France. By 1739 he taught mathematics at the Mazarin college in Paris. In 1750
he traveled to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and introduced 14 new
constellations, mostly by chopping older and bigger ones. He also made
important measurements on Moon, Venus and mars and catalogized about 10'000
stars. After his return to Paris he compiled his data and died in 1762 before
he could finish his work Coelum Australe Stelliferum which appeared
one year after his death. [dq1]
Constellation:
East of the star Rigil Centaurus lies the very small constellation
Circinus, measuring only 93 square degrees. Its shape resembles the
constellation Triangulum on the northern sky. The three brightest 3 and 4
magnitude stars form a narrow triangle. At least this small constellation
lies in the Milky Way so there can be found a few open clusters. It
culminates at midnight about first of May. [bk9, bk15]
Interesting Objects:
- Brightest Stars:
- alpha Circini
- beta Circini
- gamma Circini
- Open Clusters:
- NGC 5715
- NGC 5823
- Planetary Nebulae:
- NGC 5315
- Galaxies:
- ESO 97-G13: Circinus Galaxy
| Bibliography |
| [bk7] | | Der grosse Kosmos-Himmelsführer von Ian Ridpath und Wil Tirion; Kosmos Verlag; ISBN 3-440-05787-9 |
| [dq1] | | Deepsky Atlas of the Hawaiian Astronomical Society; http://www.hawastsoc.org/deepsky/ |
| [bk9] | | Drehbare Sternkarte SIRIUS von H. Suter-Haug; Hallwag-Verlag, Bern |
| [bk15] | | Hartung's Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes by David Malin and David J. Frew; Melbourne University Press 1995; ISBN 0-522-84553-3 |
