Constellation Data

Name: SCULPTOR Translation: The Sculptor Abbreviation: Sci Genitive: Sculptoris Size: 36 Located Between: Cetus RA: 0 hours Decl: -35 degrees Season: Fall Midnight Culmination: September 26 Pages where SCULPTOR is discussed in Chet Raymo's 365 Starry Nights: 194-195

What is the Genitive form? What is Right Ascension (RA)? Is this constellation ever visible from my latitude? What is Declination? Where should I look for a constellation on a date before or after its midnight culmination? What is Midnight Culmination?

Description

Located south of the flukes of Cetus the Whale. Trace to it by following a line southward from Alpheratz (the corner of Pegasus and Andromeda) through gamma-Pegasi, across Pisces and Cetus. This line will run through Beta-Ceti (Diphda) just before reaching the faint stars of Sculptor (alpha-Sculptoris is only magnitude 4.3). Look for it from northern latitudes barely visible low in the south during September and October.

Legend: In the constellation chart above...
• Star colors represent their spectral types (even for double stars).
• Bright star labels are yellow; significant other stars are labelled in magenta.
• The size of each star indicates its relative magnitude.
• Constellation names are light blue.
• Grid lines represent either 10 degree intervals of declination above or below the equator, or intervals of one hour (=15 degrees) of right ascension (measured along the equator).
• Messier object numbers are pink.
• Galaxies are ovals: blue if spiral, yellow if elliptical, light blue if irregular.
• Globular clusters are gold starbursts.
• Open clusters are dotted white circles.
• Planetary nebula are green diamonds.
• Bright nebula are magenta squares.
• Dark nebula are grey rectangles.
• Green x's are x-ray sources.
• Purple O's with a diagonal slash through them are quasars.

Galaxies

NGC 253 (C65), an edge-on spiral galaxy just south of Beta-Ceti (Diphda). This magnificent telescopic object, discovered by Caroline Herschel, is visible with binoculars as well. At a distance of only 8,000,000 LY, it lies not far beyond the Local Group.

What are Galaxies?
Table of Messier Objects.
What is apparent Magnitude?

Origin

Created by Lacaille in 1752, as one of 14 constellations in the far southern sky named after scientific instruments. Originally named Apparatus Sculptor, the Sculptor's Tools.

©1997 Welcome to the Basic Celestial Phenomena web site. To provide explanations of basic observational astronomy to students, teachers, families, and visitors to planetariums these pages have been written by an ex-OBU Planetarium Director, Kerry Magruder; the OBU Natural Sciences Coordinator, Mike Keas; and some of the students who work in the OBU planetarium.

The source for the logo is not a medieval woodcut!

These web pages may be printed, copied, and distributed for educational use by any non-profit educational group so long as they are not edited or altered in any way, nor distributed for profit, nor repackaged or incorporated into any other medium or product, and so long as full credit is given to Kerry Magruder.

If you find a link that does not work, please tell us which link does not work--and which page you are on. Contact us by Email with general inquiries or suggestions. Thank you.

Basic Celestial Phenomena	Constellations	Not a Medieval Woodcut	Planetarium pages
EarthVisions.net	Geology	History of Science