Tucana constellation lies in the southern hemisphere. It represents the toucan, a bird found in tropical and sub-tropical regions.
The constellation was introduced by the Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius from the observations of Dutch sailors Frederick de Houtman and Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser in the late 16th century. It was first depicted in a celestial atlas in 1603, in Johann Bayer’s Uranometria.
The constellation is home to the Tucana Dwarf galaxy, the Small Magellanic Cloud, the globular cluster 47 Tucanae, and several other notable deep sky objects.
FACTS, LOCATION & MAP
Tucana is the 48th constellation in size, occupying an area of 295 square degrees. It lies in the first quadrant of the southern hemisphere (SQ1) and can be seen at latitudes between +25° and -90°. The neighboring constellations are Eridanus, Grus, Hydrus, Indus, Octans and Phoenix.
Tucana belongs to the Johann Bayer family of constellations, along with Apus, Chamaeleon, Dorado, Grus, Hydrus, Indus, Musca, Pavo, Phoenix and Volans.
Tucana contains three stars with known planets and no Messier objects. The brightest star in the constellation is Alpha Tucanae, with an apparent magnitude of 2.86. There are no meteor showers associated with the constellation.
STORY
Tucana is not associated with any myths. The constellation’s name is Latin for “the toucan,” a South American bird with a huge bill. The Dutch astronomer and cartographer Petrus Plancius first depicted the constellation on a celestial globe in 1598 and gave it the name Tucana.
Johann Bayer kept the name in his atlas of 1603, but Frederick de Houtman called the constellation Den Indiaenschen Exster, op Indies Lang ghenaemt, which means “the Indian magpie, named Lang in the Indies,” in his 1603 catalogue. Presumably, de Houtman was describing the hornbill, a different bird that is also native to the East Indies and Malaysia. In the end, the name Tucana won out.
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