The Southern Hemisphere holds a lot of constellations named for birds. These “Southern Birds” embody Phoenix, Grus the Crane, Pavo the Peacock and Tucana the Toucan. Phoenix, significantly, is the one one named for a mythological chicken.
Phoenix nestles into the massive nest of Southern Birds with Grus to the west and Tucana to the south. Due to this fact, to see Phoenix, you’ll wish to be situated within the Southern Hemisphere and searching up on a December night because it passes near overhead.
Moreover, Phoenix has a widely known mythology of a chicken that rises from its personal ashes. And as well as, Phoenix the constellation lies adjoining to the constellation representing a furnace: Fornax. Fornax is to the northeast of Phoenix.
Learn how to discover the constellation Phoenix
Step one to finding Phoenix is to identify the brilliant stars Achernar. Achernar, notably, marks the far southern finish of the constellation of Eridanus the River. As well as, the realm of sky south of Achernar belongs to Hydrus the Lesser Water Snake and Phoenix.
Ankaa is its brightest star
The brightest star within the constellation Phoenix is Ankaa, or Alpha Phoenicis, at magnitude 2.4. Ankaa means the boat in Arabic. Ankaa lies roughly 77 light-years away.
East of Ankaa are three stars that kind a triangular form. The closest to Ankaa is Beta Phoenicis at magnitude 3.3. Then, the following brightest level within the triangle is magnitude 3.4 Gamma Phoenicis. Lastly is magnitude 3.9 Delta Phoenicis.
Up to now, astronomers have discovered 10 stars in Phoenix which have planets.
Likewise, Phoenix additionally incorporates one of the oldest stars but found. Scientists understand it’s an previous star as a result of it has little or no steel, which suggests it will need to have been one of many earlier generations of stars. Certainly, they estimate the star to be about 13 billion years previous, forming early within the historical past of the universe. It lies 36,000 light-years away.
Backside line: The constellation Phoenix lies in Southern Hemisphere skies and incorporates one of many oldest stars but discovered.
