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Sky
Chart and Artist Rendering of Apus
Origin:
One of the constellations in the southern sky, introduced by Johann Bayer in Uranometria in
1603. The original name of the constellation was Apis Indica,
referring to either an Indian Bird or to the East Indies but was later
shortened to simply Apus. Its origins date back several years
earlier and is attributed to the Dutch navigator P.D. Keyser.
Apus commemorates the exotic bird, the Bird of Paradise, found
only in Papua New Guinea. Two other exotic birds grace the south
celestial polar region; Pavo (the Peacock) and Tucana (the Toucan).
Information:
Apus, the Bird of Paradise, sits between Octans,
which is situated at the southern celestial pole, and Triangulum Australe. Apus
is highest in the northern sky of the southern hemisphere at 9 pm in
mid-July. The small constellation is so far south, that an
observer needs to be at the equator or farther south to see the group. |
