Constellation
A faint southern constellation representing an air pump, one of the constellations introduced by Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century.
| Type | Constellation |
|---|---|
| Area of sky | 239 sq° |
| Brightest star | Alpha Antliae |
| Brightest star magnitude | mag 4.25 |
| Hemisphere | Southern |
| Zodiac constellation | No |
| Discovered | 1756 |
A constellation is a pattern drawn on the sky rather than a physical grouping: its stars are usually unrelated and sit at wildly different distances, just lined up as seen from Earth.
Antlia covers 239 square degrees of sky, which is 0.6 percent of the whole celestial sphere.
That makes it the 62nd largest of the 88 constellations the International Astronomical Union recognises.
It sits in the southern sky.
Its brightest star reaches magnitude 4.25, bright enough to pick out with the naked eye under a dark sky.
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