Caelum

Caelum

Constellation
List of stars in Caelum
Abbreviation	Cae
Genitive	Caeli
Pronunciation	/ˈsiːləm/, genitive /ˈsiːlaɪ/
Symbolism	the chisel
Right ascension	5
Declination	−40
Area	125 sq. deg. (81st)
Main stars	4
Bayer/Flamsteed stars	8
Stars with known planets	None
Bright stars	0
Nearby stars	0
Brightest star	α Cae (4.45m)
Nearest star	α Cae (65.7 ly)
Messier objects	0
Meteor showers	None
Bordering constellations	Columba Lepus Eridanus Horologium Dorado Pictor
Visible at latitudes between +40° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of January.

Caelum is a faint constellation in the southern sky, introduced in the eighteenth century by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. Its name means "the chisel" in Latin, and it was formerly known as Cæla Sculptoris, "the sculptor's chisel". It is the eighth smallest constellation, with an area just less than that of Corona Australis.

Notable features

See also: List of stars in Caelum

Caelum is a faint constellation, having no star brighter than fourth magnitude. Its brightest star, and the one closest to earth at 65.7 light years, is the magnitude 4.45 α Caeli.

A small telescope splits γ Caeli into a magnitude 4.5 red giant and a magnitude 6.34 white giant. Larger telescopes are needed to see several NGC objects, all galaxies, but none brighter than magnitude 11.5 or larger than 3 arcseconds.^[1]

Citations

References

• Ridpath, Ian; Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide. London: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-725120-9. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691135564. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Caelum

• Starry Night Photography - Caelum Constellation
• Star Tales – Caelum

Coordinates: 05^h 00^m 00^s, −40° 00′ 00″