Pyxis is between Antlia and Puppis, north of Vela. It is an inconspicuous constellation made up of stars of almost 4th magnitude. The area is 221 square degrees and the center culminates around midnight on February 3rd. [9, 15]
Pyxis is the smallest and most inconspicuous part of the original constellation Argo Navis, dissolved in 1752 by Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. The importance of the magnetic compass needle for seafaring is undisputed, although the Argo Navis certainly did not have a compass on board at the time. Pyxis is the Latin term for can or compass case. [7, 21]
Catalogs
Yale Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed. (Hoffleit+, 1991) [154]
HR
B
F
RA [hms]
Dec [dms]
vMag
spType
dMag
Sep ["]
3420
η
08 37 52.2
-26 15 18
5.27
A0V
7.8
16.0
3433
ζ
08 39 42.5
-29 33 40
4.89
G4III
4.2
52.4
3438
β
08 40 06.2
-35 18 30
3.97
G7Ib-II
8.5
12.6
3468
α
08 43 35.5
-33 11 11
3.68
B1.5III
3518
γ
08 50 31.9
-27 42 36
4.01
K3-III
3556
δ
08 55 31.5
-27 40 55
4.89
A3IV
9.1
23.8
3628
κ
09 08 02.9
-25 51 30
4.58
K4III
5.2
2.1
3644
ε
09 09 56.4
-30 21 55
5.59
A4IV-V
4.3
17.6
3718
θ
09 21 29.6
-25 57 56
4.72
M1III
3733
λ
09 23 12.3
-28 50 02
4.69
G8.5IIICN-1.5*
«Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue», Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke, 2021 [277]
