Microscopium
| Constellation | |
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| Abbreviation | Mic |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Microscopii |
| Pronunciation | /ˌmaɪkrəˈskɒpiəm/, genitive /ˌmaɪkrəˈskɒpiaɪ/ |
| Symbolism | the Microscope |
| Right ascension | 21 |
| Declination | −36 |
| Family | La Caille |
| Quadrant | SQ4 |
| Area | 210 sq. deg. (66th) |
| Main stars | 5 |
|
Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
13 |
| Stars with planets | 2 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 0 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 2 |
| Brightest star | γ Mic (4.67m) |
| Nearest star |
Lacaille 8760 (12.87 ly, 3.95 pc) |
| Messier objects | none |
| Meteor showers | Microscopids |
| Bordering constellations |
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Visible at latitudes between +45° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of September. |
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Microscopium /ˌmaɪkrəˈskɒpiəm/ is a minor constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere, one of twelve created in the 18th century by French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille and one of several depicting scientific instruments. Its name is a Latinised form of the Greek word for microscope. Its stars are faint and hardly visible from most of the non-tropical Northern Hemisphere.
The constellation's brightest star is Gamma Microscopii of apparent magnitude 4.68, a yellow giant 2.5 times the Sun's mass located around 381 light-years distant. It passed within 1.14 and 3.45 light-years of the Sun some 3.9 million years ago, possibly disturbing the outer Solar System. Two star systems—WASP-7 and HD 205739—have planets, while two others—the young red dwarf star AU Microscopii and the sunlike HD 202628—have debris disks. AU Microscopii and the binary red dwarf system AT Microscopii are probably a wide triple system and members of the Beta Pictoris moving group. Nicknamed "Speedy Mic", BO Microscopii is a star with an extremely fast rotation period of 9 hours 7 minutes.
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Wikipedia