The sky has been divided into 88 constellations by the astronomers, and they have been there for centuries. Triangulum Australe is one of these 88 constellations, which means āthe southern triangleā because the three biggest stars in this constellation are known to form a triangle. In size, it is the 83rd constellation, which means it occupies a small area of about 110 square degrees. The Triangulum belongs to the family of Hercules constellation along with other constellations like the Aquila, Ara, Centaurus, Crater, crux, Hercules, Hydra, Lyra, sextans and the serpent. It is confirmed to be having one star that has a planet and the brightest star in this constellation is the Atria and Alpha trianguli australis.
Location of the Triangulum Australe and myth behind it
This star is said to be located in the southern hemisphereās third quadrant and is visible from the latitude of +25 degrees and -90 degrees. As we know that all most all the constellations have some myth attached to them, so is the case with Triangulum Australe. The myth related to Triangulum is that it was a constellation created by Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman who were navigators in the 16th century.
Major stars in the constellation
- Atria- This is also known as the Alpha Trianguli Australia which is the brightest star in the Triangulum constellation, it is known to be forming a triangle with Beta and Gamma trianguli. This is an orange colored star which is estimated to be 48 million years old.
- Trianguli Australis- triangular Australia also known as beta trianguli australis is the second brightest star in the Triangulum constellation. It is known to be a double star that also has a yellow-white main star that belongs to the spectral class.
- Trianguli Australis or the gamma trianguli australis- The third brightest star in the Triangulum constellation, it is also the third star that forms the triangle asterism. This star has a magnitude of 2.87 and is 184 light years distant from the solar system approximately. The gamma trianguli is also known for emitting infrared radiation in excess that tells it has a circumstellar disk in orbit.
- Delta Trianguli Australis- The fourth brightest star of the constellation, it is a binary star that is known to have a magnitude of 3.86.
- Epsilon trianguli Australis- This is a wide double star with a magnitude of 4.11 and is approximately some 216 light years distant from the sun.
- Zeta trianguli Australis- With a magnitude of 4.90 and being 39.15 years distant from the sun it is a star that is composed of a dwarf that is yellow-white.
- Kappa trianguli Australis- A bright yellow star with a magnitude of 5.11, it is also 1207 light years distant from the sun.
So Triangulum Australe is a small constellation, that is bordered by other constellations in the north, south, west, and east and this constellation is also located in the milky way hence it has some stars.