Lacaille’s Octans
Lacaille’s Octans was positioned with
no real regard to the stars that compose it, except for Eta
Octantis on the octant’s pivot, and that star is only 6th
magnitude. Lacaille did not regard his constellations as
recognizable star patterns but simply areas of sky in which he
could commemorate the main instruments of art and the sciences
of his era. This illustration comes from a copy of
Lacaille’s map published in the Atlas Céleste of Jean
Fortin. (Image © Ian Ridpath.)
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