Sextans
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| List of stars in Sextans | |
| Abbreviation: | Sex |
| Genitive: | Sextantis, Sextansis |
| Symbology: | the Sextant |
| Right ascension: | 10 h |
| Declination: | 0° |
| Area: | 314 sq. deg. (47th) |
| Main stars: | 3 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars: | 28 |
| Stars known to have planets: | 2 |
| Bright stars: | 0 |
| Nearby stars: | 1 |
| Brightest star: | α Sex (4.49m) |
| Nearest star: | LHS 292 (14.8 ly) |
| Messier objects: | None |
| Meteor showers: | Sextantids |
| Bordering constellations: | Leo Hydra Crater |
| Visible at latitudes between +80° and −80° Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of April |
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This article is about the constellation. For the ancient Roman coin, see sextans (coin). For the Sextans dwarf galaxy, see Sextans Dwarf Spheroidal.
Sextans (pronounced /ˈsɛkstənz/, Latin: sextant) is a minor equatorial constellation which was introduced in the 17th century by Johannes Hevelius.
Being a modern constellation, Sextans has no mythology associated with it. It was designed to represent an astronomical sextant, an instrument that Hevelius made frequent use of in his observations.
[edit] Notable features
Sextans is not a particularly bright constellation. It has only one star above the fifth magnitude, namely α Sextantis at 4.49m. The constellation contains a few double stars, including γ, 35, and 40 Sextantis. There are few notable variable stars, including β, 25, 23 Sextantis, and LHS 292.
[edit] References
- Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0691135564.
[edit] External links
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