Sextans
Sextant (Sextantis)
Sextans, the Sextant, is a faint equatorial constellation created by Johannes Hevelius in 1687 to commemorate his favorite astronomical instrument. Lying south of Leo in a sparse region of sky, Sextans contains no stars brighter than fourth magnitude but includes several interesting galaxies and the Sextans Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy, a satellite of the Milky Way.
📜 Mythology
Sextans is a modern constellation with no classical mythology. It was created by Johannes Hevelius to honor his favorite observing instrument, the sextant, which was destroyed when his observatory burned down in 1679. The sextant was essential for measuring the positions of stars and the distances between celestial objects. Hevelius continued to use a large brass sextant throughout his career, and this constellation serves as his memorial to the instrument.
💡 Facts
- ✦The Sextans Dwarf Spheroidal is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, discovered in 1990
- ✦The Spindle Galaxy (NGC 3115) in Sextans contains one of the nearest supermassive black holes
- ✦Sextans lies along the celestial equator and is visible from both hemispheres