The constellation is the imaginary line drawn concerning the stars. The line drawn between possess certain meaning. Horologium is one of the famous constellations in the 88 modern constellations. It was discovered in the 18th century by the Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. Unlike most of the other famous constellation, it is not based on the myths and beliefs. This constellation is found in the southern sky. It does not even contain any brightest stars instead it is the home to the Horologii Supercluster. This constellation is located in the southern sky. In Latin, this constellation refers to ‘the clock.’ Initially, the astronomer named it Horologium Oscillitorium which means ‘the pendulum clock’ but later it was shortened only to the first name.
Overview of Horologium Constellation
This constellation is in one of the large constellation occupying the 58th rank. It is located in the first quadrant and visible best from the latitudes 30 degree and negative 90 degrees. It is close to the other constellation Dorado, Hydrus, Reticulum, and Caelum. The brightest star in this constellation is Alpha horologii of 3.0 magnitude and located within 32.6 light years. The closest star is Gliese situated at the 12 light years. The name of this constellation was placed after the invention of the Lacaille.
Clusters and Stars of Horologium
This constellation is named after the invention of the pendulum. The shape of the constellation is same as that of the pendulum. The brightest starts seem to be representing the pendulum from the depth. Some of the stars of this constellation are as follows:
- Beta Horologii: This is the brightest star of the constellation with the magnitude of the 5.40. The location of the star is the 310 light years. It is the chemical star in the metallic line. It carries the absorption line of metal.
- Delta Horologii: It belongs to the class of A9V and has the magnitude of 4.9. The distance of this star is 175 light years.
- GJ 1061: It is the red dwarf in the spectral M5.5. The location of this star is approx. 12 light years. The star is the 20th closest star from the earth and has 11.3% of Sun’s Mass.
Deep Sky Objects found in Horologium
- Horologium Supercluster: It is the massive supercluster at 547 million light years around covering the wide area. The closest part of this cluster is 700 million light years from the sun. The far distance is 1.2 billion light years. This supercluster includes 30,000 giant galaxy and 5000 galaxy groups.
- NGC 1261: Most of the faint stars are in available in this cluster. It is located at around 54000 light years distance from the sun. The estimated life of this cluster is 10.24 billion years.
These are some of the famous stars and clusters of Horologium Constellation. It does not take into consideration any myths and beliefs. The discovery of this constellation derived from the scientific principles and Technique of the French Astronomer. It represents the clock over the southern sky.