Felis (constellation)

Felis

Felis (Latin for cat) was a constellation created by French astronomer Jérôme Lalande in 1799. He chose the name partly because, as a cat lover, he felt sorry that there was not yet a cat among the constellations (although there are two lions and a lynx). It was between the constellations of Antlia and Hydra.

This constellation was first depicted in the Uranographia sive Astrorum Descriptio (1801) of Johann Elert Bode. It is now obsolete.[1]

Its brightest star, HD 85951, was named Felis by the International Astronomical Union on 1 June 2018 and it is now so included in the List of IAU-approved Star Names.[2]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Felis (constellation).
  • Felis, Ian Ridpath's Star Tales

References

  1. ^ "The Constellations". International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Naming Stars". IAU.org. Retrieved 18 June 2018.


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