Musca
Sign in to saveis a small constellation in the deep southern sky. It was one of 12 constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman, and it first appeared on a celestial globe in diameter published in 1597 (or 1598) in Amsterdam by Plancius and Jodocus Hondius. The first depiction of this constellation in a celestial atlas was in Johann Bayer's Uranometria of 1603. It was also known as for 200 years. Musca remains below the horizon for most Northern Hemisphere observers.
AI overview
Musca is a small constellation located in the southern sky that was created in the late 1500s by Petrus Plancius based on observations from explorers Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman. Because it sits so far south, most people in the Northern Hemisphere cannot see it, making it a constellation primarily visible to observers in the Southern Hemisphere.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Constellation.name
- Musca
- Constellation.abbreviation
- Mus
- Constellation.genitive
- Muscae
- Constellation.symbolism
- the Fly
- Constellation.RA
- –
- Constellation.dec
- −64.64°–−75.68°
- Constellation.family
- Bayer
- Constellation.quadrant
- SQ3
- Constellation.areatotal
- 138
- Constellation.arearank
- 77th
- Constellation.numbermainstars
- 6
- Constellation.numberbfstars
- 13
- Constellation.numberbrightstars
Article
9 sectionsContents
- History
- Characteristics
- Features
- Stars
- Deep-sky objects
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
is a small constellation in the deep southern sky. It was one of 12 constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman, and it first appeared on a celestial globe in diameter published in 1597 (or 1598) in Amsterdam by Plancius and Jodocus Hondius. The first depiction of this constellation in a celestial atlas was in Johann Bayer's Uranometria of 1603. It was also known as for 200 years. Musca remains below the horizon for most Northern Hemisphere observers.
Many of the constellation's brighter stars are members of the Scorpius–Centaurus association, a loose group of hot blue-white stars that appears to share a common origin and motion across the Milky Way. These include Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Zeta2 and (probably) Eta Muscae, as well as HD 100546, a blue-white Herbig Ae/Be star that is surrounded by a complex debris disk containing a large planet or brown dwarf and possible protoplanet. Two further star systems have been found to have planets. The constellation also contains two cepheid variables visible to the naked eye. Theta Muscae is a triple star system, the brightest member of which is a Wolf–Rayet star.