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GENERAL INTRODUCTION:
The constellation names and
three-letter abbreviations below are as published
by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in
1922 at its first-ever General Assembly. (For a
scan of the original published list, plus a
discussion of how the final choice came about,
click here.)
These names, along with the first official
constellation boundaries, were enshrined in two IAU
books authored by Eugène Delporte, Délimitation scientifique des
constellations and Atlas Céleste, both published in 1930. These books
by Delporte remain the definitive references on the
naming and delineation of the constellations.
Unfortunately, the IAU itself
upset this happy consensus in 1932 when it agreed a
second list of names with alternative four-letter
abbreviations. In this second list, Corona
Australis became “Corona Austrina”. In
1955 the IAU repealed these alternative four-letter
abbreviations but failed to correct the Corona
Australis/Corona Austrina confusion. Corona
Austrina continued to appear in the constellation
list given by the IAU on its own website until
2008, as did the long-defunct constellation Argo,
although the rest of the astronomical community
followed the Delporte books. These anomalies have
now been rectified (see http:
//www.iau.org/public_press/themes/constellations/).
The constellation areas in the
table below are those of A. E. Levin (Handbook of
the British Astronomical Association, 1935;
reprinted 1972). I have rounded the areas in square
degrees to one decimal place, and the percentages
of sky coverage to three decimal places. Levin gave
separate areas for Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda,
but here I have combined them into one.
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Constellation
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Genitive
|
Abbr.
|
Area
(square degs.) |
Area
of sky (%) |
Order
of size |
Visibility range
(full)* |
Visibility range
(partial)* |
Number
of stars ≤ 6.5* |
Origin*
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Andromeda
|
Andromedae
|
And
|
722.3
|
1.751
|
19
|
90°N – 37°S
|
37°S – 68°S
|
152
|
1
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|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Antlia
|
Antliae
|
Ant
|
238.9
|
0.579
|
62
|
49°N – 90°S
|
49°N – 65°N
|
42
|
6
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|||||||||||||||||||||||
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Apus
|
Apodis
|
Aps
|
206.3
|
0.500
|
67
|
7°N – 90°S
|
7°N – 22°N
|
39
|
3
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Aquarius
|
Aquarii
|
Aqr
|
979.9
|
2.375
|
10
|
65°N – 86°S
|
90°N – 65°N
|
172
|
1
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Aquila
|
Aquilae
|
Aql
|
652.5
|
1.582
|
22
|
78°N – 71°S
|
90°N – 78°N,
71°S – 90°S
|
124
|
1
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|||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ara
|
Arae
|
Ara
|
237.1
|
0.575
|
63
|
22°N – 90°S
|
44°N – 22°N
|
71
|
1
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Aries
|
Arietis
|
Ari
|
441.4
|
1.070
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39
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90°N – 58°S
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58°S – 79°S
|
86
|
1
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Auriga
|
Aurigae
|
Aur
|
657.4
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1.594
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21
|
90°N – 34°S
|
34°S – 62°S
|
152
|
1
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|||||||||||||||||||||||
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Boötes
|
Boötis
|
Boo
|
906.8
|
2.198
|
13
|
90°N – 35°S
|
35°S – 82°S
|
144
|
1
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Caelum
|
Caeli
|
Cae
|
124.9
|
0.303
|
81
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41°N – 90°S
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62°N – 41°N
|
20
|
6
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Camelopardalis
|
Camelopardalis
|
Cam
|
756.8
|
1.835
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18
|
90°N – 3°S
|
3°S – 37°S
|
152
|
4
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Cancer
|
Cancri
|
Cnc
|
505.9
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1.226
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31
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90°N – 57°S
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57°S – 83°S
|
104
|
1
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Canes Venatici
|
Canum Venaticorum
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CVn
|
465.2
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1.128
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38
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90°N – 37°S
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37°S – 62°S
|
59
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5
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Canis Major
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Canis Majoris
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CMa
|
380.1
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0.921
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43
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56°N – 90°S
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78°N – 56°N
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147
|
1
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Canis Minor
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Canis Minoris
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CMi
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183.4
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0.444
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71
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89°N – 77°S
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77°S – 90°S
|
47
|
1
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Capricornus
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Capricorni
|
Cap
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413.9
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1.003
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40
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62°N – 90°S
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78°N – 62°N
|
81
|
1
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Carina
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Carinae
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Car
|
494.2
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1.198
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34
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14°N – 90°S
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39°N – 14°N
|
225
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7
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Cassiopeia
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Cassiopeiae
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Cas
|
598.4
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1.451
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25
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90°N – 12°S
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12°S – 43°S
|
157
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1
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Centaurus
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Centauri
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Cen
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1060.4
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2.571
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9
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25°N – 90°S
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59°N – 25°N
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281
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1
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Cepheus
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Cephei
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Cep
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587.8
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1.425
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27
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90°N – 1°S
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1°S – 36°S
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152
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1
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Cetus
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Ceti
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Cet
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1231.4
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2.985
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4
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65°N – 79°S
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90°N – 65°N,
79°S – 90°S
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189
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1
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Chamaeleon
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Chamaeleontis
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Cha
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131.6
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0.319
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79
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7°N – 90°S
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14°N – 7°N
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31
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3
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Circinus
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Circini
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Cir
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93.4
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0.226
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85
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19°N – 90°S
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34°N – 19°N
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39
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6
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Columba
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Columbae
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Col
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270.2
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0.655
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54
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46°N – 90°S
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62°N – 46°N
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68
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4
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Coma Berenices
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Comae Berenices
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Com
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386.5
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0.937
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42
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90°N – 56°S
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56°S – 77°S
|
66
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2
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Corona Australis
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Coronae Australis
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CrA
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127.7
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0.310
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80
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44°N – 90°S
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53°N – 44°N
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46
|
1
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Corona Borealis
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Coronae Borealis
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CrB
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178.7
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0.433
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73
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90°N – 50°S
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50°S – 64°S
|
37
|
1
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Corvus
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Corvi
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Crv
|
183.8
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0.446
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70
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65°N – 90°S
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78°N – 65°N
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29
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1
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Crater
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Crateris
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Crt
|
282.4
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0.685
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53
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65°N – 90°S
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83°N – 65°N
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33
|
1
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Crux
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Crucis
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Cru
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68.4
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0.166
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88
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25°N – 90°S
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34°N – 25°N
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49
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4
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Cygnus
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Cygni
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Cyg
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804.0
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1.949
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16
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90°N – 28°S
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28°S – 62°S
|
262
|
1
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Delphinus
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Delphini
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Del
|
188.5
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0.457
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69
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90°N – 69°S
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69°S – 87°S
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44
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1
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Dorado
|
Doradus
|
Dor
|
179.2
|
0.434
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72
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90°S – 20°N
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41°N – 20°N
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29
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3
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Draco
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Draconis
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Dra
|
1083.0
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2.625
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8
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90°N – 4°S
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4°S – 42°S
|
211
|
1
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Equuleus
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Equulei
|
Equ
|
71.6
|
0.174
|
87
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90°N – 77°S
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77°S – 87°S
|
16
|
1
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Eridanus
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Eridani
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Eri
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1137.9
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2.758
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6
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32°N – 89°S
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90°N – 32°N
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194
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1
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Fornax
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Fornacis
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For
|
397.5
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0.964
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41
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50°N – 90°S
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66°N – 50°N
|
59
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6
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Gemini
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Geminorum
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Gem
|
513.8
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1.245
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30
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90°N – 55°S
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55°S – 80°S
|
119
|
1
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Grus
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Gruis
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Gru
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365.5
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0.886
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45
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33°N – 90°S
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53°N – 33°N
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55
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3
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Hercules
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Herculis
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Her
|
1225.1
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2.970
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5
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90°N – 38°S
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38°S – 86°S
|
245
|
1
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Horologium
|
Horologii
|
Hor
|
248.9
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0.603
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58
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23°N – 90°S
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50°N – 23°N
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30
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6
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Hydra
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Hydrae
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Hya
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1302.8
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3.158
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1
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54°N – 83°S
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90°N – 54°N
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238
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1
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Hydrus
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Hydri
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Hyi
|
243.0
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0.589
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61
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8°N – 90°S
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32°N – 8°N
|
33
|
3
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Indus
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Indi
|
Ind
|
294.0
|
0.713
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49
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15°N – 90°S
|
43°N – 15°N
|
42
|
3
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* NOTES:
Visibility range (full) gives the range of latitudes from
which each constellation rises fully above the
horizon at some time. Stars close to the horizon
will be considerably dimmed by atmospheric
extinction.
Visibility range (partial) gives the latitudes from which
the constellation only ever rises partly above the
horizon. Constellations which never rise more than
a few degrees above the horizon from a given
latitude will be effectively unobservable.
Number of stars ≤6.5
gives the number of
stars within the constellation of magnitude 6.5 and
brighter as listed in the Hipparcos Catalogue.
Origin:
1. Original Greek
constellations listed by Ptolemy
2. Considered by the Greeks as
part of Leo; made separate by Caspar Vopel in 1536,
followed by Gerardus Mercator in 1551.
3. The 12 southern
constellations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and
Frederick de Houtman
4. Constellations added by
Petrus Plancius
5. Seven constellations of
Johannes Hevelius
6. The southern constellations
of Nicolas Louis de Lacaille
7. Part of the original Greek
constellation Argo Navis, dismantled in the 18th
century by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille.
Who were Ptolemy, Keyser, de
Houtman, Plancius, Hevelius and Lacaille? For more
on the origin of the constellations see Chapter One
of Ian Ridpath’s Star Tales.
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