Constellation Data

Name: TUCANA Translation: Toucan Abbreviation: Tuc Genitive: Tucanae Size: 48 Regions: Southern RA: 0 hours Decl: -65 degrees Season: Spring Midnight Culmination: September 17

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

Tucana the Toucan is one of four birds in the southern skies (cf. Pavo the Peacock, Phoenix, and Grus the Crane). It is best known for the Small Magellenic Cloud (described with the Large Magellenic Cloud on the page for Dorado the Swordfish).

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.

Special Stars

Alpha-Tucanae. Magnitude 2.9, orange. 114 LY.

Table of 25 Brightest Stars.
What is apparent stellar magnitude?

Star Clusters

47 Tucanae, often regarded as one of the most beautiful globular clusters, lies directly in front of the Small Magellenic Cloud. 15,000 LY.

What are Star Clusters?

Galaxies

See the description of the Small Magellenic Cloud on the web page for Dorado the Swordfish.

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

©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!

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