An insignificant constellation representing
a pair of dividing compasses as used by draughtsmen and
navigators for drawing circles and measuring distances.
Circinus was introduced in 1756 under the name le Compas by the
Frenchman Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, who fitted various figures
into gaps between the existing constellations of the southern
skies. In this case the gap seems to have been almost
non-existent, and the compasses are squeezed in their folded
position between the forefeet of Centaurus and Triangulum
Australe. The name was Latinized to Circinus on
Lacaille’s chart of 1763. The compasses are conveniently
placed next to Triangulum Australe, a pre-existing
constellation formed by Keyser and de Houtman which Lacaille
visualized as a surveyor’s level.
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Circinus from the Uranographia of Johann Bode, with Triangulum Australe to its left. For the original depiction by Lacaille, click here.
© Ian Ridpath. All rights reserved
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