Phoenix (constellation)

Phoenix

Constellation
List of stars in Phoenix
Abbreviation	Phe
Genitive	Phoenicis
Pronunciation	/ˈfiːnɪks/ genitive /fɪˈnaɪsɪs/
Symbolism	the Phoenix
Right ascension	23h 26.5m to 02h 25.0m [1]
Declination	−39.31° to −57.84°[1]
Quadrant	SQ1
Area	469 sq. deg. (37th)
Main stars	4
Bayer/Flamsteed stars	25
Stars with planets	10
Stars brighter than 3.00m	1
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)	1
Brightest star	α Phe (Ankaa) (2.40m)
Messier objects	0
Meteor showers	Phoenicids
Bordering constellations	Sculptor Grus Tucana Hydrus (corner) Eridanus Fornax
Visible at latitudes between +32° and −80°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of November.

Phoenix is a minor constellation in the southern sky. Named after the mythical phoenix, it was first depicted on a celestial atlas by Johann Bayer in his 1603 Uranometria. The French explorer and astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille charted the brighter stars and gave their Bayer designations in 1756. The constellation stretches from roughly −39° to −57° declination, and from 23.5h to 2.5h of right ascension. The constellations Phoenix, Grus, Pavo and Tucana, are known as the Southern Birds.

The brightest star, Alpha Phoenicis, is named Ankaa, an Arabic word meaning 'the Phoenix'. It is an orange giant of apparent magnitude 2.4. Next is Beta Phoenicis, actually a binary system composed of two yellow giants with a combined apparent magnitude of 3.3. Nu Phoenicis has a dust disk, while the constellation has ten star systems with known planets and the recently discovered galaxy clusters El Gordo and the Phoenix Cluster—located 7.2 and 5.7 billion light years away respectively, two of the largest objects in the visible universe. Phoenix is the radiant of two annual meteor showers: the Phoenicids in December, and the July Phoenicids.