The Dove
| Abbreviation: | Col |
| Genitive: | Columbae |
| Origin: | Petrus Plancius |
| Fully Visible: | 90°S – 46°N |
Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius (1552–1622) introduced this constellation in 1592. It was originally published under the name Columba Nohae or 'Noah's Dove' to commemorate the dove that Noah released after the Biblical Great Flood. It was created out of the unformed stars attributed to nearby Canis Major.
Notable Features
| Visible Named Stars | ||
|---|---|---|
| α Col | Phact | The name of this blue third-magnitude star appropriately means 'ring dove'. |
| β Col | Wazn | This star is slightly fainter than Phact and much cooler. |
| θ Col | Elkurud | The origins of the name of this star are in dispute. al‑qurūd means 'the apes' but it is possible that this was a transcription error of al‑furūd which means 'the solitary ones'. This second name, now officially Furud, is assigned to ζ CMa. |
| Deep Sky Objects | ||
| C73 | This globular cluster can be seen through a medium-size telescope. Its New General Catalogue number is 1851. | |
Copyright © 1995–2023 by L.M. Stockman and David Harper