Top Results for Lacaille

Puppis is a constellation in the southern sky representing the stern, or rear section, of the ship Argo from Greek mythology. Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille created it in the eighteenth century by dividing the large constellation Argo Navis into several smaller constellations. Puppis contains several not...

Octans is a constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere, named by the French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille during his 1750s survey of the southern sky. Its name refers to the octant, a historical instrument used to measure angles, especially in navigation. The constellation is faint an...

Pyxis is a small constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere representing a mariner's compass. French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille introduced it in 1752 from stars that had previously been associated with the larger constellation Argo Navis; the International Astronomical Union now re...

Reticulum, Latin for 'net', is a small, faint constellation in the southern sky and one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. It was charted by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille, who named it Reticulum Rhomboidalis after the reticle, the sighti...

Fornax is a faint constellation in the southern sky, introduced by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1756 under the name Fornax Chemica, the chemical furnace, reflecting his practice of naming southern constellations after scientific instruments. Its brightest star is Alpha Fornacis, a double star roughl...

Sculptor is a faint constellation in the southern sky that contains the south galactic pole. It was charted by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille during his observations at the Cape of Good Hope in the 1750s and appeared in his 1763 star catalogue as Apparatus Sculptoris, Latin for the scul...

Mensa is a faint constellation near the south celestial pole, introduced by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1756 and named after Table Mountain in South Africa, near whose observatory he charted the southern sky. It is the only constellation named after a geographical feature on Earth, and it contains...

Pictor is a constellation of the southern sky introduced by the French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille, who charted it in 1756 as Equuleus Pictoris, the painter's easel, a name later shortened to Pictor and retained among the 88 modern constellations. It lies between the bright star Canopus and...

Microscopium is a small, faint constellation in the southern sky representing the microscope, one of 14 constellations introduced by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille to honor scientific instruments. Lacaille defined it from observations made at the Cape of Good Hope in 1751–52, and it app...

Telescopium is a faint constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere, named after the telescope. It was introduced by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille, who charted the southern skies from the Cape of Good Hope and published his new constellations in his 1763 star catalogue. Visible m...

Caelum is a small, faint constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere, representing an engraver's chisel or burin. French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille introduced it in the 1750s while mapping the southern sky, and the International Astronomical Union later retained it among the 88 mode...

Antlia is a constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere whose name refers to an air pump. French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille introduced it in the eighteenth century as Antlia Pneumatica, commemorating the scientific instrument, and the shortened name Antlia was later adopted. It is a...

Horologium is a faint constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere and one of the 88 constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille introduced it in 1756 as a pendulum clock, naming it for a timekeeping instrument associated with the work of Christ...

Circinus is a small constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere whose name is Latin for a drawing compass, the drafting instrument used to draw circles. French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille introduced it in the mid-18th century while mapping the southern sky, and the International Astr...