Sculptor (constellation)
Constellation sculptor |
|
---|---|
Latin name | Sculptor |
Latin genitive | Sculptoris |
Abbreviation | Scl |
Right ascension | 23 h 06 m 43 s to 01 h 45 m 50 s |
declination | −39 ° 22 ′ 21 ″ to −24 ° 48 ′ 14 ″ |
surface | 474,764 deg² rank 36 |
Completely visible | 50.0 ° N to 90 ° S |
Observation time for Central Europe | August - December |
Number of stars brighter than 3 mag | 0 |
Brightest star (size) | Alpha Sculptoris (4.31) |
Meteor streams |
no |
Neighboring constellations ( clockwise from north ) |
|
swell | IAU , |
The Sculptor constellation, the sculptor as it can be seen with the naked eye |
The Sculptor ( Latin Sculptor ), also the Sculpture Workshop ( Latin Apparatus Sculptoris ), is a constellation of the southern sky.
description
The sculptor is an inconspicuous constellation east of the bright star Fomalhaut in the southern Pisces constellation . None of its stars are brighter than the 4th magnitude . Due to its location, this constellation is only fully visible in southern Central Europe ( Switzerland , Austria and southern Germany ).
The galactic south pole lies in the sculptor ; through it goes the "axis of rotation" of our Milky Way .
There are some interesting galaxies in the constellation, including the Sculptor Group , a group of galaxies around 12 million light years away around the starburst galaxy NGC 253 .
history
The constellation was introduced in 1756 by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille under the name l'Atelier de Sculpteur ("workshop of the sculptor"). Later it became the sculptor . He is represented as a table with a bust that changes appearance. Also shown is a mallet and a chisel , which on some cards are also referred to as the Apparatus Sculptoris ("tool of the sculptor", for example in Bode 1801), and another chisel ( Caela Sculptoris "(the) chisel of the sculptor", for example in Samuel Leigh 1825). At Lacaille there is also a stone block on which the tool lies, but which Bode removes.
Celestial objects
Stars
B. | F. | Names or other designations | Size (mag) | Lj | Spectral class |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
α | Alpha Sculptoris | 4.27 | 780 | B7 IIIp | |
β | 4.38 | 178 | B9.5 IVpHgMnEu | ||
γ | 4.41 | 179 | K1 III | ||
δ | 4.59 | 144 | A0 V | ||
η | 4.86 | 548 | M2 / M3 III | ||
ζ | 5.04 | 510 | B4 V | ||
ι | 5.18 | 311 | G5 III | ||
θ | 5.24 | 71 | F3 / F5 V | ||
π | 5.25 | 217 | K1 II / III | ||
ε | 5.29 | 89 | F2 IV | ||
μ | 5.30 | 291 | K0 III | ||
κ 2 | 5.41 | 581 | K2 III | ||
κ 1 | 5.42 | 224 | F3 V | ||
HR 445 | 5.49 | 265 | K1 / K2III | ||
σ | 5.50 | 227 | A1 / A2 IV | ||
ξ | 5.59 | ||||
τ | 5.69 | ||||
λ 2 | 5.90 | ||||
λ 1 | 6.05 |
Double stars
object | Sizes (mag) | distance |
---|---|---|
ε Scl | 5.4 / 8.6 | 4.7 " |
κ 1 Scl | 6.1 / 6.2 | 1.7 " |
τ Scl | 6.0 / 7.1 | 2.2 " |
Kappa 1 Sculptoris is a binary star system 100 light years away. The two components belong to the spectral class F2. The system can be resolved in a smaller telescope into two stars of the same brightness and color.
The Tau Sculptoris system is 120 light years away and consists of two stars belonging to the spectral classes F1 and F7. The stars can also be separated with a smaller telescope.
Variable stars
object | Size (mag) | period | Type |
---|---|---|---|
α | 4.27 | SX Arietis star | |
σ | 5.50 | Alpha 2 -Canum Venaticorum Star | |
R. | 5.72 | SRB |
The brightest star in the sculptor, α Sculptoris, is a bluish shining star of spectral class B7 III, almost 800 light-years away . It is a variable star of the same type as SX Arietis .
NGC objects
NGC | other | Size (mag) | Type | Surname |
---|---|---|---|---|
55 | 8.1 | Galaxy | ||
134 | 10.4 | Galaxy | ||
253 | 7.6 | Galaxy | Sculptor Galaxy | |
288 | 8.1 | Globular clusters | ||
300 | 8.1 | Galaxy | ||
568 | 13.58 | Galaxy | ||
613 | 10.1 | Galaxy | ||
7507 | 10.4 | Galaxy | ||
7793 | 8.1 | Galaxy |
The galaxies NGC 55 and NGC 253 in the sculptor and NGC 247 in the whale form a common group of galaxies eight million light years away.
NGC 55 is an edge-facing galaxy; H. we see them from the side. Already in the prism binoculars it appears as an extended elongated nebula. Structures can be seen in the telescope.
NGC 253 is the second brightest spiral galaxy in the sky after the Andromeda Nebula. This galaxy also appears at the edge and can already be observed with binoculars. It's a very interesting object in the telescope.
NGC 288 is a globular cluster 30,000 light years away . To resolve it into single stars, you need a larger telescope.
See also
Web links
- Sculptor - Jan Ridpath: Startales
Individual evidence
- ↑ Meyers Konversationslexikon. Volume 2: Atlantis - scarab beetle. Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig and Vienna, 4th edition, 1885–1892, p. 947
- ↑ a b Sculptor , Bode Uranographia 1801 - Jan Ridpath: Startales
- ^ Lacaille: Planisphère des Étoiles Australes (dated 1752, published 1756) - Jan Ridpath: Startales
- ↑ Urania's Mirror Card 30 - In: Jan Ridpath: Startales.