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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