Tucana

Tucana
Tucana
List of stars in Tucana
Abbreviation: Tuc
Genitive: Tucanae
Symbology: the Toucan
Right ascension: 0 h
Declination: −65°
Area: 295 sq. deg. (48th)
Main stars: 3
Bayer/Flamsteed stars: 17
Stars known to have planets: 2
Bright stars: 1
Nearby stars: 1
Brightest star: α Tuc (2.87m)
Nearest star: ζ Tuc (28.03 ly)
Messier objects: None
Meteor showers:
Bordering constellations: Grus
Indus
Octans
Hydrus
Eridanus (corner)
Phoenix
Visible at latitudes between +25° and −90°
Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of November

Tucana ( Latin: Toucan) is a southern constellation. The constellation was one of twelve constellations created by Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman between 1595 and 1597. Johann Bayer copied the twelve southern constellations from a Plancius/Hondius globe in his 1603 Uranometria star atlas.

The majority of the constellations were named after various beings that 16th century explorers had encountered (e.g. Bird of Paradise, Chameleon, Toucan, Flying Fish) and there is no earlier mythology associated with them.

Notable features

Beta Tucanae is in fact a group of six stars which appear to be at least loosely bound into a system. The two brightest of these, Beta Tucanae A and Beta Tucanae C, are 27 arcminutes apart and have magnitudes of between 4 and 5.

Notable deep sky objects

At the southern end of Tucana lies the Small Magellanic Cloud. The globular cluster 47 Tucanae (NGC 104) is also located within its boundaries as the Tucana Dwarf galaxy, which was discovered in 1990.

References

* Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0691135564.

Links




The 88 modern constellations

Andromeda | Antlia | Apus | Aquarius | Aquila | Ara | Aries | Auriga | Boötes | Caelum | Camelopardalis | Cancer | Canes Venatici | Canis Major | Canis Minor | Capricornus | Carina | Cassiopeia | Centaurus | Cepheus | Cetus | Chamaeleon | Circinus | Columba | Coma Berenices | Corona Australis | Corona Borealis | Corvus | Crater | Crux | Cygnus | Delphinus | Dorado | Draco | Equuleus | Eridanus | Fornax | Gemini | Grus | Hercules | Horologium | Hydra | Hydrus | Indus | Lacerta | Leo | Leo Minor | Lepus | Libra | Lupus | Lynx | Lyra | Mensa | Microscopium | Monoceros | Musca | Norma | Octans | Ophiuchus | Orion | Pavo | Pegasus | Perseus | Phoenix | Pictor | Pisces | Piscis Austrinus | Puppis | Pyxis | Reticulum | Sagitta | Sagittarius | Scorpius | Sculptor | Scutum | Serpens | Sextans | Taurus | Telescopium | Triangulum | Triangulum Australe | Tucana | Ursa Major | Ursa Minor | Vela | Virgo | Volans | Vulpecula

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