HOME BACK Index NEXT

GENERAL ASTRONOMY ARTICLES

SOUTHERN CONSTELLATIONS

EXPLANATION
Column 1:
CONSTELLATION
Constellation Name
Column 2:
GENATIVE
Constellation name that follows the Greek or Roman Letter for the designation of a naked-eye star.
Column 3:
Standard three letter abbreviation for the Constellation.
Column 4:
Cul 9pm
Culmination at 9 pm of a constellation or celestial object crossing the meridian of an observer.
Column 5:
Cul 12am
Culmination at 12am (at Midnight) of a constellation or celestial object crossing the meridian of an observer.
Column 6:
Area (sq.deg)
Area of the constellation in squaredegrees.
(P) Partial; to -30 deg.
(T) Total Area
Column 7:
Pos.
Position from largest to smallest in order of total area for all 88 recognised constellations.
Column 8:
Central Position
The approximate Right Ascention and Declination of the constellation’s center. Date here is the highest altitude for the the constellation’s centre.
NOTES:
Octans is always circumpolar.

LISTS of the SOUTHERN CONSTELLATIONS

The SOUTHERN CONSTELLATIONS
R.A. 00h to 24h : Dec. -30o to -90o

Antlia
Ant
Antlis		 Apus
Aps
Apodis		 Ara
Ara
Arae		 Caelum
Cae
Caeli		 Carina
Car
Carinae		 Centaurus
Cen
Centauri
Circinus
Cir
Circini		 Canis Major
CMa
Canis Minoris		 Columba
Col
Columbae		 Corona Austrinus
CrA
Coronae Australis		 Crux
Cru
Crucis		 Chamaeleon
Cha
Chamaeleontis
Dorado
Dor
Doradus		 Eridanus
Eri
Eridani		 Grus
Gru
Gruis		 Horologium
Hor
Horologii		 Hydrus
Hyi
Hydi		 Indus
Ind
Indi
Lupus
Lup
Lupi		 Mensa
Men
Mensae		 Microscopium
Mic
Microscopii		 Musca
Mus
Muscae		 Norma
Nor
Normae		 Octans
Oct
Octanis
Pavo
Pav
Pavonis		 Pheonix
Phe
Pheonicis		 Pictor
Pic
Pictoris		 Puppis
Pup
Puppus		 Pyxis
Pyx
Pyxidis		 Reticulum
Ret
Reticuli
Scorpius
Sco
Scorpii		 Sagittarius
Sgr
Sagitarii		 Telescopium
Tel
Telescopii		 Triangulum
Australe
TrA
Trianguli Australis		 Vela
Vel
Velorum		 Volans
Vol
Volantis

Inner Southern Constellations
Declination -60O to -90O

CONSTELLATION
NAME		 GENITIVE
NAME		 Abb. Cul
9pm		 Cul
12am		 Area
(sq.deg)		 Pos. Central
Position
Mensa Mensae Men 29 Jan 14 Dec 153.484 76 (05300-7741)
Volans Volantis Vol 05 Mar 19 Jan 141.354 77 (07540-6852)
Chamaeleon Chamaeleontis Cha 17 Apr 02 Mar 131.592 80 (10418-7709)
Crux Crucis Cru 14 May 30 Mar 68.447 89 (12274-5905)
Musca Muscae Mus 15 May 31 Mar 138.355 78 (12345-7006)
Circinus Circini Cir 16 Jun 01 May 93.353 86 (14436-6426)
Apus Apodis Apu 07 Jul 24 May 206.327 68 (16037-7556)
Triangulum Australe Trianguli Australis TrA 09 Jul 25 May 109.978 84 (16069-6455)
Pavo Pavonis Pav 04 Sep 21 Jul 377.666 44 (19598-6337)
Hydrus Hydrae Hyi 14 Dec 30 Oct 294.006 49 (02319-7242)
Octans Octanis Oct Circum 08 Aug 91.045 50 (21064-8442)

Outer Southern Constellations
Declination -40O to -60O

CONSTELLATION
NAME		 GENITIVE
NAME		 Abb. Cul
9pm		 Cul
12am		 Area
(sq.deg)		 Pos. Central
Position
Reticulum Reticuli Ret 03 Jan 20 Nov 113.936 83 (03565-5948)
Cælum Caeli Cae 15 Jan 30 Nov 124.865 82 (04466-3819)
Dorado Doradus Dor 28 Jan 14 Dec 179.173 73 (05278-6422)
Pictor Pictoris Pic 30 Jan 15 Dec 246.739 59 (05386-5302)
Columba Columbae Col 03 Feb 19 Dec 270.184 54 (05501-3505)
Southern Puppis Puppis Pup 27 Feb 12 Jan 421.01 P
 20 T (07257-4036)
Puppis* Puppis Pup 27 Feb 12 Jan 673.434 T 20 T (07257-4036)
Carina CarinaeCar 18 Mar 01 Feb 494.184 33 (08548-6119)
Pyxis Pyxidis Pyx 21 Mar 04 Feb 220.883 65 (08568-2806)
Vela Velorum Vel 29 Mar 12 Feb 499.649 31 (09249-4759)
Antlia Antliae Ant 10 Apr 23 Feb 238.901 62 (10081-3419)
Centaurus Centauri Cen 25 May 10 Apr 1060.422 09 (13043-4540)
Lupus Lupi Lup 23 Jun 12 May 333.683 46 (15210-4319)
Norma Normae Nor 08 Jul 23 May 165.290 75 (16010-5131)
Southern Scorpius Scorpii Sco 24 Jul 08 Jun 496.783 T 33 (17017-3719)
Ara Arae Ara 28 Jul 13 Jun 237.057 63 (17218-5329)
Corona Australis Corona Australis CrA 15 Aug 02 Jul 127.696 81 (18381-4058)
Telescopium Telescopii Tel 25 Aug 11 Jul 251.512 57 (19158-5129)
Microscopium Microscopii Mic 20 Sep 06 Aug 209.513 66 (20565-3619)
Indus Indi Ind 28 Sep 14 Aug 294.006 49 (21325-5825)
Grus Gruis Gru 13 Oct 29 Aug 365.513 45 (22289-4536)
Phoenix Phoenicis Phe 18 Nov 04 Oct 469.319 36 (00536-4831)
Tucana Tucanae Tuc 01 Nov 17 Sep 294.557 48 (23371-6718)
Southern Eridanus Eridani Eri 22 Dec 06 Nov 264.0 P -- (03036-4354)
Eridanus* Eridani Eri 25 Dec 09 Nov 1137.919 T 06 T (03036-4354)
Horologium Horologii Hor 27 Dec 12 Nov 248.885 58 (03252-5216)

Southern Equatorial Constellations
Declination -30O to -40O

CONSTELLATION
NAME		 GENITIVE
NAME		 Abb. Cul
9pm		 Cul
12am		 Area
(sq.deg)		 Pos. Central
Position
Southern Sculptor Sculptoris Scl 21 Nov 07 Oct c.35 P
474.164 T		 35 * (01011-3208)
Southern Fornax Forancis For 15 Dec 31 Oct ? P
97.502 T		 41 (02482-3142)
Mid-Southern Eridanus Eridani Eri 05 Jan 20 Nov ? P
1137.919 T 		06** (04000-3000)
Southern Puppis Puppis Pup 27 Feb 12 Jan 421.010 P
673.434 T		 20** (07257-4036)
Antlia Antliae Ant 10 Apr 23 Feb 238.901 62 (10081-3419)
Southern Sagittarius Sagittarii Sgr 27 Aug 13 Jul ? P
867.432 T		 15** (19219-3729)
Pisces Austrinus Piscis Austrini PsA 10 Oct 25 Sep 245.375 60 (22168-3024)

SOUTHERN CONSTELLATIONS : NOTES

1. Constellations highlighted in YELLOW in the above table are true circumpolar constellations from -35oS latitudes, which I have termed the Inner Southern Constellations.

2. Octans is always circumpolar regardless of southern latitude.

3. NMa (LMC), NMi (SMC)
These appeared in the original IAU Constellation 1930, but was soon dropped. This remains unfortunate, as the Magellanic Clouds contain many more deep-sky than many of the other southern constellations! The only usage I’ve seen is in Hartung’s “Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes” published in 1968.

4. ‘Australis’ is sometimes used in both the nominative and genative terms

5. Argo genitive Argüs is the older southern constellation that was divided into the modern constellations of Carina, Vela, Puppis and Pyxis (older Malus.)

6. Serpens (not listed here) is the only constellation divided into two parts. These are Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda who are split by the equatorial constellation of Ophiuchus - The Serpent Bearer.

7. When calculation Sagittarius area just subtract CrA from the southern section!

8. For the split constellations, the number in the “Pos.” column is in order of the total area (T) and NOT the given calculated area portion (P). Some in the Tables are maked ?, as I have left out for the moment as calculating the area will frankly take a bit of time due to the jagged constellation boundaries!


HOME BACK Index NEXT

Last Update : 17th September 2008

Southern Astronomical Delights © (2008)

MIRROR

For any problems with this Website or Document please email me.