Tucana
Toucan (Tucanae)
Tucana, the Toucan, is a southern constellation created by Dutch navigators in the late 16th century. It contains the Small Magellanic Cloud, one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way, and the spectacular globular cluster 47 Tucanae, the second brightest globular cluster in the sky. This makes Tucana one of the most rewarding southern constellations for deep-sky observing.
📜 Mythology
Tucana was created from observations by Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman during their expedition to the East Indies (1595-1597). It was introduced by Petrus Plancius in 1598. The toucan, a tropical American bird with a distinctive large, colorful bill, was not native to the regions the Dutch explored, but specimens had reached Europe and captivated naturalists. The constellation honors this exotic bird of the New World.
💡 Facts
- ✦47 Tucanae (NGC 104) is the second brightest globular cluster in the sky after Omega Centauri
- ✦The Small Magellanic Cloud is a dwarf galaxy about 200,000 light-years away, containing several hundred million stars
- ✦NGC 362 is another fine globular cluster in Tucana, appearing to be within the SMC but actually much closer