Caelum
Encyclopedia
Caelum is a faint constellation
in the southern sky, introduced in the 18th century by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille
. Its name means "the chisel
" in Latin
, and it was formerly known as Cæla Sculptoris, "the sculptor's chisel". It is the eighth smallest constellation, with an area just less than that of Corona Australis
.
.
A small telescope splits γ Caeli
into a magnitude 4.5 red giant and a magnitude 6.34 white giant. Larger telescopes are needed to see several NGC objects, all galaxies, but none brighter than magnitude 11.5 or larger than 3 arcminutes.
Most notable galaxies are NGC 1571, NGC 1679 and IC 2106.
was a United States Navy
ship named after the constellation.
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
in the southern sky, introduced in the 18th century by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille
Nicolas Louis de Lacaille
Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille was a French astronomer.He is noted for his catalogue of nearly 10,000 southern stars, including 42 nebulous objects. This catalogue, called Coelum Australe Stelliferum, was published posthumously in 1763. It introduced 14 new constellations which have since become...
. Its name means "the chisel
Chisel
A chisel is a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge of blade on its end, for carving or cutting a hard material such as wood, stone, or metal. The handle and blade of some types of chisel are made of metal or wood with a sharp edge in it.In use, the chisel is forced into the material...
" in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, and it was formerly known as Cæla Sculptoris, "the sculptor's chisel". It is the eighth smallest constellation, with an area just less than that of Corona Australis
Corona Australis
Corona Australis or Corona Austrina is a constellation. Its name means "southern crown", and it contrasts with Corona Borealis, the northern crown...
.
Notable features
Caelum is a faint constellation, having no star brighter than fourth magnitude. Its brightest star is the magnitude 4.45 α CaeliAlpha Caeli
Alpha Caeli is a double star system in the constellation Caelum.Alpha Caeli A is an F-type main sequence star with a stellar classification of F2V and an apparent magnitude of +4.44. It has 1.48 times the mass of the Sun and 1.3 times the solar radius. The projected rotational velocity at the...
.
A small telescope splits γ Caeli
Gamma Caeli
The Bayer designation Gamma Caeli is shared by two star systems, in the constellation Caelum:* γ1 Caeli* γ2 CaeliThey are separated by 0.22° on the sky....
into a magnitude 4.5 red giant and a magnitude 6.34 white giant. Larger telescopes are needed to see several NGC objects, all galaxies, but none brighter than magnitude 11.5 or larger than 3 arcminutes.
Most notable galaxies are NGC 1571, NGC 1679 and IC 2106.
Namesakes
USS Caelum (AK-106)USS Caelum (AK-106)
USS Caelum was a Crater-class cargo ship commissioned by the U.S. Navy for service in World War II, named after constellation Caelum...
was a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
ship named after the constellation.