Constellation | |
Abbreviation | Ant |
---|---|
Genitive | Antliae |
Pronunciation | /ˈæntliə/, genitive /-lii/ |
Symbolism | the Air Pump[1] |
Right ascension | 09h 27m 05.1837s–11h 05m 55.0471s[2] |
Declination | −24.5425186°–−40.4246216°[2] |
Area | 239 sq. deg. (62nd) |
Main stars | 3 |
Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 9 |
Stars with planets | 2 |
Stars brighter than 3.00m | 0 |
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 2 |
Brightest star | α Ant (4.25m) |
Messier objects | 0 |
Meteor showers | None |
Bordering constellations | Hydra Pyxis Vela Centaurus |
Visible at latitudes between +45° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of April. |
Antlia (/ˈæntliə/; from Ancient Greek ἀντλία) is a constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere. Its name means "pump" in Latin and Greek; it represents an air pump. Originally Antlia Pneumatica, the constellation was established by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century. Its non-specific (single-word) name, already in limited use, was preferred by John Herschel then welcomed by the astronomic community which officially accepted this. North of stars forming some of the sails of the ship Argo Navis (the constellation Vela), Antlia is completely visible from latitudes south of 49 degrees north.
Antlia is a faint constellation; its brightest star is Alpha Antliae, an orange giant that is a suspected variable star, ranging between apparent magnitudes 4.22 and 4.29. S Antliae is an eclipsing binary star system, changing in brightness as one star passes in front of the other. Sharing a common envelope, the stars are so close they will one day merge to form a single star. Two star systems with known exoplanets, HD 93083 and WASP-66, lie within Antlia, as do NGC 2997, a spiral galaxy, and the Antlia Dwarf Galaxy.