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Sky Chart and Artist Rendering of Horologium
Origin:
Introduced by the French astronomer Nicolas
Louis de Lacaille in 1752 after breaking up Eridanus to form Caelum
and this constellation. The constellation honors Galileo and the
pendulum clock he invented and was originally called Horologium
Oscillatorium. Alternatively, it may honor the Dutch scientist
Christian Huygens who perfected an accurate pendulum clock in the
mid-1800's. Judging by the lack of bright stars and discernable
shape in this constellation, it is not much of an honor.
Information:
Horologium is a small, inconspicuous southern constellation that shows
only a couple stars above the southern horizon for observers north of 30°
N lat. No star in the constellation is brighter than magnitude 4 so
the grouping is difficult to find for northern observers. The
constellation contains few objects of telescopic interest.
Horologium sits west of Caelum, Dorado, and Reticulum
and east of Eridanus and culminates at around 9
pm on Christmas Day. |
