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Hydrus
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Hydrus

astronomy
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Written by
Erik Gregersen
Erik Gregersen is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, specializing in the physical sciences and technology. Before joining Britannica in 2007, he worked at the University of Chicago Press on the...
Erik Gregersen
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Article History
Greek:
“Water Snake”
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Hydrus, constellation in the southern sky at about 2 hours right ascension and 70° south in declination. Its brightest star is Beta Hydri, with a magnitude of 2.8. This constellation was invented by Pieter Dircksz Keyser, a navigator who joined the first Dutch expedition to the East Indies in 1595 and who added 12 new constellations in the southern skies. The much larger constellation Hydra represents a female water snake, whereas Hydrus is the male.

Erik Gregersen