Compass (constellation)
See also: Compass (homonymy)
The Boussole is small a Constellation southern sky , without particularly luminous star.
History
The constellation of the Compass bordering on immense the Navire Argo is included since Antiquity by Ptolémée. It was named at the same time as Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille dismantled the ship in three constellations in 1752. The constellations of Antiquity did not cover necessarily all the sky, the zones not comprising brilliant stars not being necessarily attached to constellations. The fact that the Compass or not belonged to the Argo Ship is prone to debate, since no notable brilliant star is present in this constellation.
Observation of stars
See also: Ship Argo (constellation)
Principal stars
See also: List of stars of the Compass
α Pyxidis
The most brilliant star of the constellation is α Pyxidis. With a Magnitude only 3,68 connect, this star is in fact distant of almost 850 light-years. Located close to the Milky Way, it is still darkened by interstellar dust. It is a very hot blue giantess (22 900 K on the surface), 18 000 times more brilliant that the Sun and 8 times larger than this one. It is rather young (probably in the neighborhoods of 18 million years).
Other stars
β Pyxidis is an orange star, 100 times more luminous than the Sun.
T Pyxidis is a recurring Nova, magnitude 14 between its spaced explosions on average 19 years.
Celestial objects
The Compass contains the open Amas NGC 2627, distant of 8 000 light-years.
See too
- List of stars of the Compass
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