Chamaeleon constellation is located in the southern sky. It was named after a type of lizard, the chameleon. The constellation was created by the Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius from the observations of Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman in the 16th century.
Chamaeleon was first depicted in Johann Bayer’s star atlas Uranometria in 1603. The constellation is sometimes also called the Frying Pan in Australia.
FACTS, LOCATION & MAP
Chamaeleon lies in the second quadrant of the southern hemisphere (SQ2) and can be seen at latitudes between 0° and -90°.
The neighboring constellations are Apus, Carina, Mensa, Musca, Octans, and Volans.
Chamaeleon has one star with known planets and does not contain any Messier objects.
The brightest star in the constellation is Alpha Chamaeleontis. Alpha Chamaeleontis is also the nearest star in Chamaeleon, located at a distance of 63.45 light years from Earth.
Chamaeleon does not have any stars brighter than magnitude 3.00 or located within 10 parsecs (32.6 light years) of Earth. There are no meteor showers associated with the constellation.
Chamaeleon belongs to the Johann Bayer family of constellations, along with Apus, Dorado, Grus, Hydrus, Indus, Musca, Pavo, Phoenix, Tucana, and Volans.
Notable deep sky objects in the constellation include the planetary nebula NGC 3195, the Chamaeleon cloud complex, and the Eta Chamaeleontis Cluster.
Chamaeleon contains Cha 110913 (or Cha 110913-773444), an astronomical object located at a distance of 163 light years from Earth, surrounded by what seems to be a protoplanetary disk. Astronomers are uncertain whether the object is a sub-brown dwarf with planets or a rogue planet with moons. Cha 110913 was discovered in 2004.
STORY
There are no myths associated with Chamaeleon constellation. It is one of the constellations charted by Dutch navigators in the 16th century and named after exotic animals by Plancius. In this case, the constellation was named after a lizard that changes colour to match the environment.
The Dutch cartographer Jodocus Hondius depicted the constellation as a chameleon sticking its tongue out to catch the fly represented by the neighboring constellation Musca.
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