Columba (constellation)
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| List of stars in Columba | |
| Abbreviation: | Col |
| Genitive: | Columbae |
| Symbology: | Dove |
| Right ascension: | 6 h |
| Declination: | −35° |
| Area: | 270 sq. deg. (54th) |
| Main stars: | 5 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars: | 18 |
| Stars known to have planets: | 0 |
| Bright stars: | 1 |
| Nearby stars: | 0 |
| Brightest star: | α Col (Phact) (2.6m) |
| Nearest star: | β Col (Wezn) (86 ly) |
| Messier objects: | 0 |
| Meteor showers: | None |
| Bordering constellations: | Lepus Caelum Pictor Puppis Canis Major |
| Visible at latitudes between +45° and −90° Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of February |
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Columba (pronounced /kəˈlʌmbə/, Latin: dove), is a small constellation just south of Canis Major and Lepus; it was cut out of the constellation Canis Major by Augustin Royer, in 1679.
Before being designated as a full constellation, Columba Noachi was already to be seen as an asterism in Bayers Uranometria of 1603[1]. This of course refers to the Torah's and Bible's Dove of Noah that was the first bird to find land after the Deluge. It is assumed that Columba Noachi was introduced as an asterism by Petrus Plancius.
The constellation is rather inconspicuous, the brightest star α Columbae having the magnitude of 2.65m. α Columbae is called Phact that comes from Arabic Al-Fakhita (the dove).
The constellation contains the runaway star μ Columbae, which was probably expelled from the ι Orionis system.
- Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Collins Stars and Planets Guide, HarperCollins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209.
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