Pfau
Peacock (Pavonis)
Pavo, the Peacock, is a southern constellation created by Dutch navigators in the late 16th century. It contains the bright star Peacock (Alpha Pavonis) and lies in a region rich with galaxies and globular clusters. The constellation represents the bird sacred to Hera in Greek mythology, known for its spectacular tail feathers.
📜 Mythologie
Pavo was created from observations by Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman during their expedition to the East Indies (1595-1597). While the constellation is modern, the peacock has ancient mythological significance. In Greek mythology, the peacock was sacred to Hera, queen of the gods. When the many-eyed giant Argus was killed by Hermes, Hera placed his hundred eyes on the peacock's tail as a memorial. The peacock thus became Hera's symbol and her sacred bird.
💡 Fakten
- ✦Alpha Pavonis is officially named 'Peacock' - assigned by the British Air Ministry for navigation
- ✦NGC 6752 is the third brightest globular cluster in the sky after Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae
- ✦Pavo contains several interacting galaxy pairs visible in larger telescopes