Phoenix (constellation)
See also: Phoenix
The Phoenix is a Constellation of the Southern hemisphere, not very luminous. It can be observed by the inhabitant of the northern Hemisphere in the south of 30° of Latitude.
History
The constellation of the Phoenix is relatively modern. The Astronome S Arab S included its stars in the Éridan. It was introduced by the navigators Dutch Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman at the end of the 16th century under its name current and inventoried by the Astronome Johann Bayer in 1603 into its “ Uranometria ”.
Observation of stars
; Localization of the constellation The Phoenix is located in the southern hemisphere, between Achernar, the extremity of the river Éridan, and Fomalhaut, recluse of the southern Poisson.; Form constellation The constellation is dominated by its principal star, α Phe (Ankaa), located at a score of degrees to NO of Achernar. It is accompanied by a weaker star ~2° more in the South, χ Phe, which marks the eye of the bird.
α Phe marks the departure of an alignment towards the ESE, consisted β Phe, δ Phe, and χ Eridani, the " column vertébrale" phoenix.
With the top of this alignment, Northern side, two brilliant stars, γ phe and ψ phe, respectively mark the end of the Northern wing and the end of the tail. The alignment of these two stars, appreciably parallel with the " column vertébrale" of the Phoenix, points on κ Eridani.
With the lower part of the " column vertébrale" , southern part, ζ Phe (slightly variable) mark the end of the other wing, with 5° in the West of Achernar. It close to η Phe, is located some degrees more at the West.
Principal stars
See also: List of stars of the Phoenix
Ankaa (α Phoenicis)
α Phoenicis (Ankaa) is the most brilliant star of the constellation, of Magnitude connect 2,40. It is a Géante red, 10 times larger than the Sun, 2,5 times more massive. It is also a star doubles. His/her companion, whose one does not know the type, Orbite in 10,5 years with the average distance from 7 ua.
Other stars
ζ Phoenicis is a variable star of standard Algol, i.e. a star doubles of which one of the components eclipses periodically most brilliant. From magnitude 3,94, it passes to the magnitude 4,42 every 40 hours. A third star is with 600 ua couple.Three stars having of the Exoplanète S were detected in the constellation of the Phoenix: HD 142, HD 2039 and HD 6434.
Celestial objects
The Phoenix is low in celestial objects. One can note however the Galaxie NGC 625.
See too
- List of stars of the Phoenix
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