Definición y significado de Apus

Apus

Constellation
List of stars in Apus
Abbreviation	Aps
Genitive	Apodis
Pronunciation	/ˈeɪpəs/, genitive /ˈæpədɨs/
Symbolism	The Bird-of-Paradise[1]
Right ascension	16 h
Declination	−75°
Quadrant	SQ3
Area	206 sq. deg. (67th)
Main stars	4
Bayer/Flamsteed stars	12
Stars with planets	2
Stars brighter than 3.00m	0
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)	0
Brightest star	α Aps (3.83m)
Nearest star	HD 128400 (66.36 ly, 20.35 pc)
Messier objects	None
Meteor showers	None
Bordering constellations	Triangulum Australe Circinus Musca Chamaeleon Octans Pavo Ara
Visible at latitudes between +5° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of July.

Apus ( /ˈeɪpəs/) is a faint constellation in the southern sky, first defined in the late 16th century. Its name means "no feet" in Greek, and it represents a bird-of-paradise (which were once believed to lack feet). It is bordered by Triangulum Australe, Circinus, Musca, Chamaeleon, Octans, Pavo and Ara. Its genitive is "Apodis".

  History

Apus was one of twelve constellations created by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman and it first appeared on a 35 cm diameter celestial globe published in 1597 (or 1598) in Amsterdam by Plancius with Jodocus Hondius.^[1][2][3] Plancius called the constellation Paradysvogel Apis Indica; the first word is Dutch for 'bird of paradise', but the others are Latin for "Indian Bee"; "apis" (Latin for "bee") is presumably an error for "avis" or "bird".^[1][3] The name "Apus" is derived from the Greek "apous", meaning "without feet", which referred to the Western conception of a bird-of-paradise as one without feet, a misconception perpetuated by the fact that the only specimens available in the West had both feet and wings removed.^[1]

After its introduction on Plancius's globe, the first known depiction of the constellation in a celestial atlas was in Johann Bayer's Uranometria of 1603, where it was called "Apis Indica".^[1][3]

  Notable features

The deep-sky objects in Apus include the globular cluster NGC 6101.

  Stars

• α Apodis is an orange giant 411 light years away, with a magnitude of 3.8.^[2][3]
• β Apodis is an orange giant 158 light years away, with a magnitude of 4.2.^[2]
• γ Apodis is an orange giant 160 light years away, with a magnitude of 3.9.^[2]
• δ Apodis is a double star with a separation of 103 arcseconds.^[3] δ¹ is a red giant star located 765 light years away, with a magnitude of 4.7. δ² is an orange giant star^[3] located 663 light years away, with a magnitude of 5.3. The separate components can be resolved with binoculars, a telescope, or the naked eye.^[2]
• θ Apodis is a variable red giant at a distance of 328 light years with a period of approximately 4 months,^[2] or 109 days.^[3] It has a maximum magnitude of 4.8 and a minimum magnitude of 6.1.^[3]

  Deep-sky objects

• NGC 6101 is a 14th magnitude globular cluster, located seven degrees north of γ Aps.^[3]
• IC 4499 is a loose globular cluster in the medium-far galactic halo.^[4] Its apparent magnitude is 10.6,^[5] and it is unique because it is younger than most other globular clusters in the same region as determined by its metallicity.^[4]
• IC 4633 is a very faint spiral galaxy.^[3]

  Equivalents

When the Ming Dynasty Chinese astronomer Xu Guangqi adapted the European southern hemisphere constellations to the Chinese system in The Southern Asterisms, he combined Apus with some of the stars in Octans to form the "Exotic Bird" (異雀, Yìquè).^[6]

  References

Citations

References

• Ridpath, Ian (2001), Stars and Planets Guide, Princeton University Press, ISBN 0-691-08913-2 
• Ridpath, Ian (2007), Stars and Planets Guide, Wil Tirion (4th ed.), Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0-691-13556-4 

  External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Apus

• The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Apus
• Peoria Astronomical Society - Apus
• NightSkyInfo.com: Constellation Apus
• WIKISKY.ORG: Apus on WIKISKY
• Star Tales – Apus

Coordinates: 16^h 00^m 00^s, +75° 00′ 00″