The pneumatic Machine is a Constellation of the Southern hemisphere, not very luminous.

History

It was created by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1752 in order to fill the last southern patches of sky without denomination. Originally named in Latin Antlia pneumatica , it bears this name in the honor of Robert Boyle, inventor of the air pump.

Principal stars

See also: List of stars of the pneumatic Machine

α  Antliae

α  Antliae, the the most brilliant star of the constellation, has only a Magnitude connect of 4,28. It is about a Géante orange, distant of almost 370 light-years. It is slightly variable, but in an unforeseeable way.

Other stars

The other stars of the constellation are even less brilliant qu'α  Antliae.

ζ  Antliae is a multiple star, made up of three bodies magnitude 5,93,6,35 and 7,21.

U  Antliae is an irregular variable, of which the magnitude evolves/moves between 5,50 and 6,80.

Celestial objects

The pneumatic Machine also shelters a Nébuleuse planet gear, NGC 3132, located at the border with the constellation of the Voiles. It resembles M57, the planetary nebula of the constellation of the Lyre.

One finds there also two spiral galaxies: NGC 2997 - which is also a Radiogalaxie - and NGC 3095.

PGC 29194 is a dwarf Galaxie spherical which seems to belong to our local Groupe. It is located at approximately 3,7 million light-years.

See too

• List of stars of the pneumatic Machine