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Constellations
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 In 1955 the IAU repealed these alternative four-letter abbreviations but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/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
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62
|
49°N – 90°S
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49°N – 65°N
|
42
|
6
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Apus
|
Apodis
|
Aps
|
206.3
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0.500
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67
|
7°N – 90°S
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7°N – 22°N
|
39
|
3
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Aquarius
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Aquarii
|
Aqr
|
979.9
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2.375
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10
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65°N – 86°S
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90°N – 65°N
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172
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1
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Aquila
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Aquilae
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Aql
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652.5
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1.582
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22
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78°N – 71°S
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90°N – 78°N,
71°S – 90°S
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124
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1
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Ara
|
Arae
|
Ara
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237.1
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0.575
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63
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22°N – 90°S
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44°N – 22°N
|
71
|
1
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Aries
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Arietis
|
Ari
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441.4
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1.070
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39
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90°N – 58°S
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58°S – 79°S
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86
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1
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Auriga
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Aurigae
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Aur
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657.4
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1.594
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21
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90°N – 34°S
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34°S – 62°S
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152
|
1
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Boötes
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Boötis
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Boo
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906.8
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2.198
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13
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90°N – 35°S
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35°S – 82°S
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144
|
1
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Caelum
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Caeli
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Cae
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124.9
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0.303
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81
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41°N – 90°S
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62°N – 41°N
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20
|
6
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Camelopardalis
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Camelopardalis
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Cam
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756.8
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1.835
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18
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90°N – 3°S
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3°S – 37°S
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152
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4
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Cancer
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Cancri
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Cnc
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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
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104
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1
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Canes Venatici
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Canum Venaticorum
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CVn
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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
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59
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5
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Canis Major
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Canis Majoris
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CMa
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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
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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
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47
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1
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Capricornus
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Capricorni
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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
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81
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1
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Carina
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Carinae
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Car
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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
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225
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7
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Cassiopeia
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Cassiopeiae
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Cas
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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
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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
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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
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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
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37
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1
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Corvus
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Corvi
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Crv
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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
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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
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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
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262
|
1
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Delphinus
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Delphini
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Del
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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
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Doradus
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Dor
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179.2
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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
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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
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211
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1
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Equuleus
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Equulei
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Equ
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71.6
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0.174
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87
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90°N – 77°S
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77°S – 87°S
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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
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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
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59
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6
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Gemini
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Geminorum
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Gem
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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
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119
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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
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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
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245
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1
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Horologium
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Horologii
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Hor
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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
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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
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33
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3
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Indus
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Indi
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Ind
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294.0
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0.713
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49
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15°N – 90°S
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43°N – 15°N
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42
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3
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* NOTES ON COLUMN HEADINGS:
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:
2. Considered by the Greeks as part of Leo; made separate by Caspar Vopel in
1536, followed by Gerardus Mercator in 1551.
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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