Sextan Constellation



Hello, could capture this interesting constellation to learn about a device that once existed, the constellation Sextans. 



Sextans is located in a dim region of the sky between the constellations Hydra, Crater, and Leo. The constellation was created by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century. 


Sextans belongs to the Hercules family of constellations, along with Corvus, Crater, Crux, Cygnus, Hercules, Hydra, Lupus, Lyra, etc.,


It represents the astronomical sextant: Sextants for astronomical observations were devices depicting a sixth of a circle, used primarily for measuring the positions of stars. These over time got replaced by telescopes and satellites to say in simple words.


There is no significant star in this constellation. I have added a picture of the device too , courtesy wikipedia. Tycho Brahe's sextant, used for measuring the angular distances between stars. Tycho Brahe was a Danish astronomer who was known for his precise measurements of new stars.

Comments

Popular Posts