Norma constellation lies in the southern sky, between the constellations Scorpius and Centaurus.
Its name means “normal” in Latin (referring to a right angle) and it represents a level, a set square, a rule, or a carpenter’s square. The constellation was introduced by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the mid-18th century. Lacaille originally named the constellation l’Equerre et la Regle, after a draughtsman’s set-square and rule. Norma is one of the smaller constellations and does not have any prominent stars. It is home to the Norma Cluster of galaxies, the bipolar Ant Nebula, the Fine-Ring Nebula, and the open clusters NGC 6067 and NGC 6087, among other objects.
FACTS, LOCATION & MAP
Norma is the 74th constellation in size, occupying an area of 165 square degrees. It is located in the third quadrant of the southern hemisphere (SQ3) and can be seen at latitudes between +30° and -90°. The neighboring constellations are Ara, Circinus, Lupus, Scorpius and Triangulum Australe.
Norma belongs to the Lacaille family of constellations, along with Antlia, Caelum, Circinus, Fornax, Horologium, Mensa, Microscopium, Octans, Pictor, Reticulum, Sculptor, and Telescopium.
Norma contains four stars with known planets and has no Messier objects. The brightest star in the constellation is Gamma-2 Normae, with an apparent magnitude of 4.02. There is one meteor shower associated with the constellation; the Gamma Normids.
STORY
Norma constellation is not associated with any myths. It was introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 1750s, during his stay at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, where he was mapping the southern skies. Lacaille created the constellation out of faint stars between Lupus and Ara and originally named it l’Equerre et la Regle, referring to a draughtsman’s set-square and rule.
The constellation represents a carpenter’s square, used by carpenters on exploratory vessels. The constellation’s name was Latinized to Norma et Regula, and eventually shortened to Norma.
As the constellation boundaries have changed since the 18th century, Norma no longer has stars designated Alpha or Beta. The stars that were Alpha and Beta Normae in Lacaille’s time now belong to Scorpius constellation and are designated N and H Scorpii.
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