Sextans
Sextans, constellation at about 10 hours right ascension and on the celestial equator in declination. It is a faint constellation; the brightest star is Alpha Sextantis, with a magnitude of 4.5. Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius invented this constellation in 1687; it commemorates the sextant that Hevelius lost in a fire that destroyed his house in 1679.
Citation Information
Article Title:
Sextans
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
20 May 2019
Access Date:
February 22, 2025