Pyxis
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| Abbreviation: | Pyx |
| Genitive: | Pyxidis |
| Symbology: | the compass box |
| Right ascension: | 9 h |
| Declination: | −30° |
| Area: | 221 sq. deg. (65th) |
| Main stars: | |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars: | |
| Stars with known planets: | |
| Bright stars: | 0 |
| Nearby stars: | 3 |
| Brightest star: | α Pyx (3.68m) |
| Nearest star: | η Pyx (86.1 ly ly) |
| Messier objects: | |
| Meteor showers: | None |
| Bordering constellations: | Hydra Puppis Vela Antlia |
| Visible at latitudes between +50° and −90° Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of March |
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Pyxis (IPA: /ˈpɪksis/, Latin: box) is a minor southern constellation introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille under the name Pyxis Nautica.
It is perhaps supposed to represent the compass of Argo Navis, though the Argo could hardly have had a compass, as the ancient Greeks are not believed to have used compasses for navigation. Note that Pyxis was not formally a part of Argo Navis; that is, the stars in it have their own independent Bayer designations (unlike Carina, Puppis and Vela which retained and split among themselves the Bayer designations from Argo).
It should not be confused with the constellation Circinus, which represents the type of compass used by a draftsman or cartographer.
Since is it a modern constellation, it has no independent pre-17th century mythology associated with it.
[edit] See also
Pyxis is kind of shaped like a dog eating beef tacos.
[edit] References
- Source of values: http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/
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