#sextans

[arturia-giallo]

六分仪 by fiodo [Twitter/X] ※Illustration shared with permission from the artist. If you like this artwork please support the artist by visiting the source.

[quiltofstars]

The constellation of Sextans, the Sextant // E. Slawik/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani

Click below to read some more about this relatively new addition to our night sky as well as an annotated image!

Sextans, which is Latin for "sextant," is a relatively recent addition to the night sky. It was created by the Polish astronomy Johannes Hevelius in 1687. He created it in the memory of his personal sextant*, which he lost when his observatory was destroyed by fire in 1679.

*A sextant is a device that shows one-sixth of a circle used to measure the positions of stars.

Sextans is a relatively small and faint constellation and none of its bright stars have names. However, two stars with planetary systems have been given names:

Bibhā (HD 86081), a Sun-like star about 337 light years from Earth. It has one confirmed exoplanet orbiting it, about 1.5 times the mass of Jupiter, named Santamasa. Both names were given by the people of India: Bibhā is the Bengali pronunciation of the Sanskrit word vibha meaning "bright beam of light," while Santamasa is a Sanskrit word that means "clouded."

Gnomon (WASP-43), is a red dwarf star about 284 light years away. It has one confirmed exoplanet orbiting it, about twice the mass of Jupiter, named Astrolábos. Both names were given by the people of Romania: Gnomon is the part of a sundial that casts the shadow, and Astrolábos is the Greek word for the astrolabe.

[kayoshibe]

Girls' Frontline 2 - Sextans PV

[urotoramannekusus]

skits 🌿(comms closed) (@trustyskittles) on X

would never belong to angels, had never belonged to men ✿ 🏳️‍🌈 🇵🇭 artist (RATES IN PINNED) ✿ art mama of: @Hi2_chan support her she is cool

[chibinotan]

Supermassive Black Hole

[comparativetarot]

Two of Pentacles. From the COSMOS Tarot & Oracle Deck.

"Sextans + Octans" by Kaeti Vandorn

The octant and the sextant are two devices used for navigation and astrological measurement. As powerful tools of their time, they both helped to advance science and the understanding of the universe around us. This card depicts a labyrinth, built of the curves and angles that might be derived from such devices. The labyrinth represents a scientific journey from unknown darkness to illuminated understanding.

This card directly references the impact of science and education on our lives. It is a great time to learn. Whether a person decides to enroll in classes, seek the guidance of a mentor, or if they choose to learn by experiment, all endeavors focused on the pursuit of knowledge will be positive. Formal education, higher learning, or community based education classes are all referenced with this card.

Reversed, a person may be feeling a bit lost without the information they need to escape a maze of questions. Outdated technology, scientific myth, unproven or incorrect information may prove to be a hindrance. Beware of anecdotal “facts” or flimsy theories from unreliable sources.

[celestial-cartography]

Hydra, Sextans, Crater and Corvus constellations, from Firmamentum Sobiescianum, sive Uranographia, part of Prodromus Astronomiae (1690) by Johannes Hevelius

[linkstars]

A pair of interacting galaxies,  NGC 3169 (left) and NGC 3166 (right), with a third, smaller galaxy, bottom right, ( NGC 3165), which doesn’t seem to interact with the other ones, because she’s farther away

Constellation: Sextans

Credit:ESO/Igor Chekalin