Sextans
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- For the Ancient Roman coin denomination, see sextans (coin).
- For the Sextans Dwarf galaxy, see Sextans (dwarf galaxy).
Template:Infobox Constellation Sextans (Latin for Sextant) is a minor southern constellation which was introduced in the 17th century by Johannes Hevelius.
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Notable features
Sextans is not a particularly bright constellation. It has only one star above the fifth magnitude, namely α Sextantis at magnitude 4.49. The constellation contains a few double stars, including γ, 35, and 40 Sextantis. There are few notable variable stars.
Notable deep sky objects
There are a few galaxies in Sextans. The most notable is NGC 3115 (called the Spindle galaxy), a spiral galaxy of magnitude 9.1 that is seen edge-on. It is believed to be around 20 million light years away. There are a few other galaxies, including NGC 3156, NGC 3165, NGC 3166, and NGC 3169, a group of four galaxies 60 million light years away. NGC 3166 and NGC 3169 are the brightest of the quartet, at tenth magnitude. These two galaxies, which are separated by only around 50,000 light years, are so close to each other that they affect each other's structure. NGC 3156 is of magnitude 12.4, and NGC 3165 is of magnitude 13.9.
Mythology
Being a modern constellation, Sextans has no mythology associated with it. It was deigned to represent a sextant, an instrument that Hevelius made frequent use of in his observations.
Table of leading stars
| Bayer designation | Flamsteed designation | Variable designation | Other designation | Right ascension (J2000) | Declination (J2000) | Magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 09h 50' 30.1" | +04° 20' 37" | 6.24 | |||
| 6 | 09h 51' 14.0" | -04° 14' 36" | 6.01 | |||
| 7 | 09h 52' 12.2" | +02° 27' 15" | 6.02 | |||
| γ | 8 | ADS 7555 | 09h 52' 30.4" | -08° 06' 18" | 5.05 | |
| 12 | 09h 59' 43.1" | +03° 23' 05" | 6.70 | |||
| 13 | 10h 04' 08.4" | +03° 12' 04" | 6.45 | |||
| 14 | 10h 06' 47.4" | +05° 36' 41" | 6.21 | |||
| α | 15 | 10h 07' 56.3" | -00° 22' 18" | 4.49 | ||
| 17 | 10h 10' 07.5" | -08° 24' 30" | 5.91 | |||
| 18 | 10h 10' 55.8" | -08° 25' 06" | 5.65 | |||
| 19 | 10h 12' 48.3" | +04° 36' 53" | 5.77 | |||
| ε | 22 | 10h 17' 37.8" | -08° 04' 08" | 5.24 | ||
| 23 | RS | 10h 21' 02.0" | +02° 17' 23" | 6.66v | ||
| 25 | SS | 10h 23' 26.5" | -04° 04' 27" | 5.97v | ||
| δ | 29 | 10h 29' 28.7" | -02° 44' 21" | 5.21 | ||
| β | 30 | 10h 30' 17.5" | -00° 38' 13" | 5.09v | ||
| 33 | 10h 41' 24.2" | -01° 44' 30" | 6.26 | |||
| 35 | ADS 7902 | 10h 43' 20.9" | +04° 44' 52" | 5.79 | ||
| 36 | 10h 45' 09.4" | +02° 29' 17" | 6.28 | |||
| 40 | ADS 7936 | 10h 49' 17.3" | -04° 01' 27" | 6.61 | ||
| 41 | ADS 7942 | 10h 50' 18.1" | -08° 53' 52" | 5.79 |
Source: The Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed.
Table of double stars
| Designation | Right ascension (J2000) | Declination (J2000) | Magnitudes |
|---|---|---|---|
| γ (ADS 7555) | 09h 52' 30.4" | -08° 06' 18" | 5.58, 6.07 |
| 35 (ADS 7902) | 10h 43' 20.9" | +04° 44' 52" | 5.79, 7.14 |
Table of deep sky objects
| Designation | Type | Right ascension (J2000) | Declination (J2000) | Size | Magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 3115 | galaxy | 10h 05m 14.1s | -07° 43′ 09″ | 8.3′ × 3.2′ | 9.1 |
| NGC 3166 | galaxy | 10h 13m 45.6s | +03° 25′ 31″ | 5.2′ × 2.7′ | 10.4 |
| NGC 3169 | galaxy | 10h 14m 14.8s | +03° 28′ 00″ | 4.8′ × 3.2′ | 10.2 |
Stars
- Stars with Bayer designations:
- Stars with Flamsteed designations:
- 2 Sex 4.68; 4 Sex 6.24; 6 Sex 6.01; 7 Sex 6.02; 9 Sex 6.72; 12 Sex 6.69; 13 Sex 6.43; 14 Sex 6.20; 17 Sex 5.91; 18 Sex 5.64; 19 Sex 5.77; 20 Sex 7.37; 21 Sex 6.97; 23 Sex 6.66; 25 Sex 5.93; 26 Sex 6.33; 27 Sex 6.55; 31 Sex 6.98; 33 Sex 6.25; 34 Sex 6.57; 35 Sex 5.77; 36 Sex 6.27; 37 Sex 6.38; 40 Sex 6.61; 41 Sex 5.80
See Also
Template:ConstellationsByHevelius Template:ConstellationList
External links
- The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Sextans (http://www.allthesky.com/constellations/sextans/)de:Sextant (Sternbild)
fr:Sextant (constellation) ko:육분의자리 it:Sextans nl:Sextans ja:ろくぶんぎ座 pl:Sekstant (gwiazdozbir) fi:Sekstantti (thdist) th:กลุ่มดาวเซกซ์แทนต์