The Goose
| Abbreviation: | Ans |
| Genitive: | Anseris |
| Origin: | Johannes Hevelius, 1690 |
Anser is an unfortunate goose clamped in the jaws of the little fox Vulpecula. German/Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius (1611–1687) created Vulpecula cum Ansere as one constellation but the figures were labelled separately on his star map. In the early twentieth century, the IAU dispensed with the goose in the constellation name but the brightest star in this constellation, α Vul, is now called Anser.
Copyright © 2018–2023 by L.M. Stockman and David Harper