Located in the Southern Sky, Hydrus is a small constellation created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman. It first appeared on a 35-cm diameter celestial globe published in late 1597 in Amsterdam, and was…
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Located in the southern sky, Octans is a faint constellation. The name is Latin for the eighth part of a circle, but is named after the octant, a navigational instrument. Created by French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1752, Octans is…
Created by Petrus Plancius in 1613, the constellation camelopardalis is not one of Ptolemy’s 48 constellations in the Almagest. It first appeared in a globe designed by him and produced by Pieter van den Keere…
Originally named Scutum Sobiescianum by Johannes Hevelius in 1684, Scutum is a small constellation. The name Scutum means ‘shield’ in Latin for shield, and it lies entirely in the southern celestial hemisphere. It is one of the 88 IAU designated constellations, with its four brightest…
Apus constellation is located in the southern hemisphere, and is a small constellation that represents the bird of paradise. The name of the constellation is derived from the Greek word apous, which means “footless.” This is…
Located north of the celestial Equator, the constellation Auriga is the site of the galactic anti-center. This means the constellation contains the point in the sky opposite to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy….
Located in the northern celestial hemisphere, Leo Minor is a small and faint constellation. Its name is Latin for “the smaller lion”, and lies between Ursa Major to the north and Leo to the south. Leo Minor was not…
Every culture sees the night differently and throughout the ages, astronomers have kept creating their own constellations. There are 88 modern recognizable constellations, but that hasn’t always been the case, In order to ensure that…
Located in the northern celestial hemisphere, Canis Minor is a small constellation that was included in Ptolemy’s 2nd century constellations. The name is Latin for “lesser dog”, which is commonly represented as following the constellation of Orion the hunter. Canis Minor…
Located in the northern sky, Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation with an associated mythology that likely dates back into prehistory. The Latin name means “greater she-bear,” which refers to and…