Constellation Musca (Fly)

Properties

Musca is a small constellation with 138 square degrees in the band of the Milky Way. It connects to Crux to the south and shares with it a piece of the dark cloud Coal Sack. The center of the constellation culminates around midnight on March 31st. ^{[9, 15]}

Data for constellation Musca ^[150]
IAU Name	Musca
IAU Genitive	Muscae
IAU Abbr.	Mus
English Name	Fly
Season (47° N)	Not visible
Right Ascension	11^h 19^m 26^s … 13^h 51^m 08^s
Declination	-75° 41' 02" … -64° 38' 17"
Area	138 deg²
Neighbours (N↻)	Cru, Cen, Car, Cha, Aps, Cir

History

The constellation Musca goes back to Johann Bayer, who in 1603 separated a piece from the ancient constellation Centaurus and renamed it Apis (the Bee). Jakob Bartsch is said to have renamed the constellation Musca later. ^{[7, 21]}

Catalogs

Yale Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed. (Hoffleit+, 1991) ^[154]
HR	B	RA [hms]	Dec [dms]	vMag	spType	dMag	Sep ["]
4520	λ	11 45 36.4	-66 43 43	3.64	A7III	9.0	40.6
4530	μ	11 48 14.3	-66 48 53	4.72	K4III
4671	ε	12 17 34.1	-67 57 39	4.11	M5III
4703	ζ²	12 22 07.3	-67 31 19	5.15	A5V	5.4	32.4
4704	ζ¹	12 22 11.9	-68 18 27	5.74	K0III
4773	γ	12 32 28.0	-72 07 59	3.87	B5V
4798	α	12 37 11.0	-69 08 08	2.69	B2IV-V	10.1	29.6
4844	β	12 46 16.9	-68 06 29	3.05	B2.5V	0.2	1.3
4923	δ	13 02 16.2	-71 32 56	3.62	K2III
4952	θ	13 08 07.0	-65 18 23	5.51	B0Ia+WC5: v	1.7	5.3
4993	η	13 15 14.9	-67 53 40	4.80	B8V	3.2	60.
5042	ι¹	13 25 07.1	-74 53 16	5.05	K0III
5051	ι²	13 27 18.3	-74 41 31	6.63	B9V

Revised+Historic NGC/IC, Version 22/9, © Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke ^[277]
Planetary Nebulae
Name	RA	Dec	Type	bMag	vMag	Dim	Dreyer Description	Identification, Remarks
NGC 4071	12 04 15.3	-67 18 33	PN	12.9	13.0	1.27	vF, vS, R, bM *, am st	PK 298-4.1, ESO 94-PN12, AM 1201-670
NGC 5189	13 33 32.9	-65 58 25	PN	10.3		2.33	!, B, pL, cE, bM, curved axis, 4 st inv	IC 4274, PK 307-3.1, ESO 96-PN16, AM 1329-654, CS=14.1
IC 4191	13 08 47.5	-67 38 35	PN	12.0	10.6	0.08	Planetary, stellar	PK 304-4.1, ESO 96-PN2
Galactic Nebulae
Name	RA	Dec	Type	bMag	vMag	Dim	Dreyer Description	Identification, Remarks
IC 2966	11 50 12.9	-64 52 17	EN			3 × 2	pL, bM	ESO 94-EN8
Open Clusters
Name	RA	Dec	Type	bMag	vMag	Dim	Dreyer Description	Identification, Remarks
NGC 4463	12 29 55.2	-64 47 22	I3p		7.2	6	Cl, P, vlC	OCL 885, ESO 95-SC10
NGC 4815	12 57 58.3	-64 57 42	I3m		8.6	5	Cl, pL, pRi, iF, st 10…18	OCL 893, ESO 96-SC1
Globular Clusters
Name	RA	Dec	Type	bMag	vMag	Dim	Dreyer Description	Identification, Remarks
NGC 4372	12 25 45.4	-72 39 31	XII		7.2	5	globular, pF, L, R, st 12…16	GCL 19, ESO 64-SC6
NGC 4833	12 59 35.0	-70 52 27	VIII		8.4	14	globular, B, L, R, g, vsbM, st 12	GCL 21, ESO 65-SC4
Galaxies
Name	RA	Dec	Type	bMag	vMag	Dim	Dreyer Description	Identification, Remarks
IC 2980	11 57 30.0	-73 41 06	E3	13.4	12.4	1.2 × 1	eeF, eS, R, cbM	ESO 39-5

References

7	«Der grosse Kosmos-Himmelsführer» von Ian Ridpath und Wil Tirion; Kosmos Verlag; ISBN 3-440-05787-9
9	«Drehbare Sternkarte SIRIUS» von H. Suter-Haug; Hallwag-Verlag, Bern
15	«Hartung's Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes» by David Malin and David J. Frew; Melbourne University Press 1995; ISBN 0-522-84553-3
21	«Taschenatlas der Sternbilder» von Josef Klepesta und Antonin Rükl; Verlag Werner Dausien; ISBN 3-7684-2384-0
150	IAU: The Constellations, 11. Oktober 2020; iau.org/public/themes/constellations
154	Yale Bright Star Catalog, 15. Oktober 2020; tdc-www.harvard.edu/catalogs/bsc5.html
277	«Historische Deep-Sky Kataloge» von Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke; klima-luft.de/steinicke (2021-02-17)

Constellation Musca (Fly)

Properties

History

Catalogs

Yale Bright Star Catalogue

New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters

References