Hydrus Constellation | Constellations In The Southern Hemisphere

Hydrus Constellation | Constellations In The Southern Hemisphere

HYDRUS CONSTELLATION – In this topic, we are going to know and learn about the southern constellation Hydrus, the male Water Snake.

HYDRUS CONSTELLATION
Image from: Star Registration

It is the constellation in the southern sky. It means “the male water snake” in Latin but is also known as “the lesser water snake”. It lies between the two Magellanic Clouds, between Eridanus and the south celestial pole.

The constellation first appeared on a celestial globe by the Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius in 1597. It houses the small and faint IC 1717, the spiral galaxy NGC 1511, globular cluster NGC 1466, and the irregular galaxy NGC 1473.

French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille gave the constellation the name l’Hydre Mâle in order to emphasize the difference in gender between Hydrus and Hydra.

It is the 61st largest constellation in the night sky and occupies an area of about 243 square degrees. It lies in SQ1, the first quadrant of the southern hemisphere.

Hydrus belongs to the Johann Bayer family, along with Apus, Chamaeleon, Dorado, Grus, Indus, Musca, Pavo, Phoenix, Tucana and Volans.

Stars

Among the stars include:

  • 2 G. Hydri
  • Alpha Hydri
  • Beta Hydri
  • Delta Hydri
  • Epsilon Hydri
  • Eta-2 Hydri
  • Gamma Hydri
  • HD 10180
  • Nu Hydri
  • Zeta Hydri

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