Constellation | |
Abbreviation | PsA |
---|---|
Genitive | Piscis Austrini |
Pronunciation | /ˈpaɪsɪsɒsˈtraɪnəs/ or /ɒsˈtreɪlɪs/ , genitive /ˈpaɪsɪsɒˈstraɪnaɪ/ |
Symbolism | the Southern Fish |
Right ascension | 21h 27m 13.8661s–23h 06m 54.6033s [1] |
Declination | −24.8250446°–−36.4592972° [1] |
Quadrant | SQ4 |
Area | 245 sq. deg. (60th) |
Main stars | 7 |
Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 21 |
Stars with planets | 6 |
Stars brighter than 3.00m | 1 |
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 3 |
Brightest star | Fomalhaut (α PsA) (1.16 m ) |
Messier objects | 0 |
Meteor showers | ? |
Bordering constellations | Capricornus Microscopium Grus Sculptor Aquarius |
Visible at latitudes between +55° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of October. |
Piscis Austrinus is a constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere. The name is Latin for "the southern fish", in contrast with the larger constellation Pisces, which represents a pair of fish. Before the 20th century, it was also known as Piscis Notius. Piscis Austrinus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. The stars of the modern constellation Grus once formed the "tail" of Piscis Austrinus. In 1597 (or 1598), Petrus Plancius carved out a separate constellation and named it after the crane.
It is a faint constellation, containing only one star brighter than 4th magnitude: Fomalhaut, which is 1st magnitude and the 18th-brightest star in the night sky. Fomalhaut is surrounded by a circumstellar disk, and possibly hosts a planet. Other objects contained within the boundaries of the constellation include Lacaille 9352, one of the brightest red dwarf stars in the night sky (though still too faint to see with the naked eye); and PKS 2155-304, a BL Lacertae object that is one of the optically brightest blazars in the sky.
Pisces Austrinus originated with the Babylonian constellation simply known as the Fish (MUL.KU). [2] [3] Professor of astronomy Bradley Schaefer has proposed that ancient observers must have been able to see as far south as Mu Piscis Austrini to define a pattern that looked like a fish. [4] Like many of Schaefer's proposals this is nothing new: mu PsA is explicitly mentioned in the Almagest and the constellation is definitely a takeover from ancient Babylon. [5] Along with the eagle Aquila the crow Corvus and water snake Hydra, Piscis Austrinus was introduced to the Ancient Greeks around 500 BCE; the constellations marked the summer and winter solstices, respectively. [6]
In Greek mythology, this constellation is known as the Great Fish and it is portrayed as swallowing the water being poured out by Aquarius, the water-bearer constellation. The two fish of the constellation Pisces are said to be the offspring of the Great Fish. In Egyptian mythology, this fish saved the life of the Egyptian goddess Isis, so she placed this fish and its descendants into the heavens as constellations of stars. [7] In the 5th century BC, Greek historian Ctesias wrote that the fish was said to have lived in a lake near Bambyce in Syria and had saved Derceto, daughter of Aphrodite, and for this deed was placed in the heavens. For this reason, fish were sacred and not eaten by many Syrians. [8]
Piscis Austrinus is a constellation bordered by Capricornus to the northwest, Microscopium to the southwest, Grus to the south, Sculptor to the east, and Aquarius to the north. Its recommended three-letter abbreviation, as adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1922, is "PsA". [9] Ptolemy called the constellation Ichthus Notios "Southern Fish" in his Almagest ; this was Latinised to Piscis Notius and used by German celestial cartographers Johann Bayer and Johann Elert Bode. [10] Bayer also called it Piscis Meridanus and Piscis Austrinus, while French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille called it Piscis Australis. English Astronomer Royal John Flamsteed went with Piscis Austrinus, which was followed by most subsequently. [11] The official constellation boundaries, as set by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte in 1930, are defined by a polygon of four segments (illustrated in infobox). In the equatorial coordinate system, the right ascension coordinates of these borders lie between 21h 27.3m and 23h 06.5m, while the declination coordinates are between −24.83° and −36.46°. [12] The whole constellation is visible to observers south of latitude 53°N. [13] [lower-alpha 1]
Ancient astronomers counted twelve stars as belonging to Piscis Austrinus, though one was later incorporated into nearby Grus as Gamma Gruis. [8] Other stars became part of Microscopium. [10] Bayer used the Greek letters alpha through mu to label the most prominent stars in the constellation. Ptolemy had catalogued Fomalhaut (Alpha Piscis Austrini) as belonging to both this constellation and Aquarius. Lacaille redrew the constellation as it was poorly visible from Europe, adding pi, and relabelling gamma, delta and epsilon as epsilon, eta and gamma, respectively. However, Baily and Gould did not uphold these changes as Bayer's original chart was fairly accurate. Bode added tau and upsilon. Flamsteed gave 24 stars Flamsteed designations, though the first four numbered became part of Microscopium. [11] Within the constellation's borders, there are 47 stars brighter than or equal to apparent magnitude 6.5. [lower-alpha 2] [13]
Traditionally representing the mouth of the fish, Fomalhaut is the brightest star in the constellation and the 19th-brightest star in the night sky, with an apparent magnitude of 1.16. Located 25.13 ± 0.09 light-years away, it is a white main-sequence star that is 1.92 ± 0.02 times as massive and 16.63 ± 0.48 as luminous as the Sun. [15] Its companion Fomalhaut b was thought to be the first extrasolar planet ever detected by a visible light image, thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope, but infrared observations have since retracted this claim: it is instead a spherical cloud of dust. TW Piscis Austrini can be seen close by and is possibly associated with Fomalhaut as it lies within a light-year of it. Of magnitude 6.5, it is a BY Draconis variable. [16]
The second-brightest star in the constellation, [17] Epsilon Piscis Austrini is a blue-white star of magnitude +4.17. Located 400 ± 20 light-years distant, [18] it is a blue-white main-sequence star 4.10 ± 0.19 times as massive as the Sun, and around 661 times as luminous. [19]
Beta, Delta and Zeta constitute the Tien Kang ("heavenly rope") in China. [20] Beta is a white main-sequence star of apparent magnitude 4.29 that is of similar size and luminosity to Fomalhaut but five times as remote, [17] at around 143 ± 1 light-years distant from Earth. [21] Delta Piscis Austrini is a double star with components of magnitude 4.2 and 9.2. [16] The brighter is a yellow giant of spectral type G8 III. [22] It is a red clump star that is burning helium in its core. [23] It is 172 ± 2 light-years distant from Earth. [24] Zeta Piscis Austrini is an orange giant star of spectral type K1III that is located 413 ± 2 light-years distant from Earth. [25] It is a suspected variable star. [26]
S Piscis Austrini is a long-period Mira-type variable red giant which ranges between magnitude 8.0 and 14.5 over a period of 271.7 days, and V Piscis Austrini is a semi-regular variable ranging between magnitudes 8.0 and 9.0 over 148 days. [16]
Lacaille 9352 is a faint red dwarf star of spectral type M0.5V that is just under half the Sun's diameter and mass. [27] A mere 10.74 light-years away, it is too dim to be seen with the naked eye at magnitude 7.34. In June 2020 two super-Earth planets were discovered via radial velocity method.
Exoplanets have been discovered in five other star systems in the constellation. HD 205739 is a yellow-white main-sequence star of spectral type F7 V that has a planet around 1.37 times as massive as Jupiter orbiting it with a period of 279 days, and a suggestion of a second planet. [28] HD 216770 is an orange dwarf accompanied by a Jupiter-like planet every 118 days. [29] HD 207832 is a star of spectral type G5V with a diameter and mass about 90% of that of the Sun, and around 77% of its luminosity. Two gas giant planets with masses around 56% and 73% that of Jupiter were discovered in 2012 via the radial velocity method. With orbits of 162 and 1156 days, they average around 0.57 and 2.11 astronomical units away from their star. [30]
WASP-112 and WASP-124 are two sun-like stars that have planets discovered by transit.
NGC 7172, NGC 7174 and NGC 7314 are three galaxies of magnitudes 11.9, 12.5 and 10.9, respectively. [16] NGC 7259 is another spiral galaxy, which hosted a supernova—SN 2009ip—in 2009.
At redshift z = 0.116, the BL Lacertae object PKS 2155-304 is one of the brightest blazars in the sky. [31]
Antlia is a constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere. Its name means "pump" in Latin and Greek; it represents an air pump. Originally Antlia Pneumatica, the constellation was established by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century. Its non-specific (single-word) name, already in limited use, was preferred by John Herschel then welcomed by the astronomic community which officially accepted this. North of stars forming some of the sails of the ship Argo Navis, Antlia is completely visible from latitudes south of 49 degrees north.
Grus is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for the crane, a type of bird. It is one of twelve constellations conceived by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman. Grus first appeared on a 35-centimetre-diameter (14-inch) celestial globe published in 1598 in Amsterdam by Plancius and Jodocus Hondius and was depicted in Johann Bayer's star atlas Uranometria of 1603. French explorer and astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille gave Bayer designations to its stars in 1756, some of which had been previously considered part of the neighbouring constellation Piscis Austrinus. The constellations Grus, Pavo, Phoenix and Tucana are collectively known as the "Southern Birds".
Microscopium is a minor constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere, one of twelve created in the 18th century by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille and one of several depicting scientific instruments. The name is a Latinised form of the Greek word for microscope. Its stars are faint and hardly visible from most of the non-tropical Northern Hemisphere.
Fomalhaut is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish, and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Piscis Austrini, which is an alternative form of α Piscis Austrini, and is abbreviated Alpha PsA or α PsA. This is a class A star on the main sequence approximately 25 light-years (7.7 pc) from the Sun as measured by the Hipparcos astrometry satellite. Since 1943, the spectrum of this star has served as one of the stable anchor points by which other stars are classified.
Sculptor is a faint constellation in the southern sky. It represents a sculptor. It was introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century. He originally named it Apparatus Sculptoris, but the name was later shortened.
Lacaille 9352 is a red dwarf star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. With an apparent visual magnitude of 7.34, this star is too faint to be viewed with the naked eye except possibly under excellent seeing conditions. Parallax measurements place it at a distance of about 10.74 light-years from Earth. It is the eleventh closest star system to the Solar System and is the closest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus. The ChView simulation shows that its closest neighbour is the EZ Aquarii triple star system at about 4.1 ly away.
Horologium is a constellation of six stars faintly visible in the southern celestial hemisphere. It was first described by the French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1756 and visualized by him as a clock with a pendulum and a second hand. In 1922 the constellation was redefined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) as a region of the celestial sphere containing Lacaille's stars, and has since been an IAU designated constellation. Horologium's associated region is wholly visible to observers south of 23°N.
HD 216770 is a star with an orbiting exoplanet in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. With an apparent visual magnitude of 8.11, it is too faint to be visible to the naked eye. It is located at a distance of 120 light years from the Sun, as determined by parallax measurements, and is drifting further away with a radial velocity of 31.1 km/s. The star shows a high proper motion, traversing the celestial sphere at an angular rate of 0.302 arcsec yr−1.
TW Piscis Austrini is a main sequence star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus. It lies relatively close to the Sun, at an estimated distance of 24.8 light-years . To an observer on Earth the star is visually separated from its larger companion Fomalhaut (A) by 2 degrees—the width of four full moons.
HD 205739 is a yellow-white hued star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus, positioned near the western constellation boundary with Microscopium. It has the proper name Sāmaya, which was selected in the NameExoWorlds campaign by Sri Lanka, during the 100th anniversary of the IAU. Sāmaya means peace in the Sinhalese language.
Delta Piscis Austrini, Latinized from δ Piscis Austrini, is a yellow-hued star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +4.175. There is a magnitude 9.86 common proper motion companion located at an angular separation of 5.2 arc seconds – the pair most likely form a binary star system. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 18.9796 mas as seen from the Gaia satellite, Delta Piscis Austrini is located 172 ± 2 light-years from the Sun.
Zeta Piscis Austrini, Latinized from ζ Piscis Austrini, is an orange-hued star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. It has an apparent visual magnitude of +6.43, which is near the lower limit of stars that can be seen with the naked eye. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 7.55 mas as seen from the Gaia telescope, the star is located 413 ± 2 light years from the Sun. This is an evolved K-type giant star with a stellar classification of K1 III. It is a suspected variable star.
Eta Piscis Austrini is binary star system in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. As of 2000, the two components had an angular separation of 1.818 arc seconds along a position angle of 113.4°. The pair have a combined apparent visual magnitude of +5.43, which is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 3.99 mas as seen from the Earth, the system is located roughly 820 light years from the Sun.
Iota Piscis Austrini is a solitary, blue-white hued star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. It has an apparent visual magnitude of +4.35 and is around 500 light years from the Sun. This is an A-type main sequence star with a stellar classification of A0 V. It has a magnitude 11.4 visual companion located at an angular separation of 20 arc seconds along a position angle of 290°, as of 1910.
Lambda Piscis Austrini, Latinized from λ Piscis Austrini, is a solitary star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. It has a blue-white hue and is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +5.42. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 6.51 mas as measured from Earth, it is located around 500 light years from the Sun. At that distance, the visual magnitude of the star is diminished by an extinction factor of 0.16 due to interstellar dust.
Mu Piscis Austrini, Latinized from μ Piscis Austrini, is a solitary, white-hued star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +4.49. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 26.75 mas as seen from the Gaia space telescope, the star is located around 122±2 light years from the Sun.
Tau Piscis Austrini is a solitary, yellow-white hued star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +4.9. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 54.71 mas as seen from the Earth, the star is located 59.6 light years from the Sun.
Upsilon Piscis Austrini is a solitary, orange-hued star in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. It is faintly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +4.98. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 7.69 mas as seen from the Earth, the star is located 420 light-years from the Sun.
2 Piscis Austrini, also known as HD 200763 or simply 2 PsA, is a solitary orange hued star located in the southern constellation Microscopium. It was once part of Piscis Austrinus, the southern fish. The object has an apparent magnitude of 5.2, making it faintly visible to the naked eye under ideal conditions. Based on parallax measurements from the Gaia satellite, it is estimated to be 354 light years away from the Solar System. However, it is receding with a poorly constrained heliocentric radial velocity of 3.1 km/s. At its current distance, 2 PsA's brightness is diminished by 0.11 magnitudes due to interstellar dust. It has an absolute magnitude of 0.19.
3 Piscis Austrini, also known as HD 201901 or simply 3 PsA, is an astrometric binary located in the southern constellation Microscopium. It was once part of Piscis Austrinus, the southern fish. The system has a combined apparent magnitude of 5.39, making it faintly visible to the naked eye under ideal conditions. Gaia DR3 parallax measurements imply a distance of 404 light years and it is currently approaching the Solar System with a heliocentric radial velocity of −46.2 km/s. At its current distance, 3 PsA's brightness is diminished by 0.12 magnitudes due to extinction from interstellar dust and it has an absolute magnitude of +0.19.