Constellation Lacerta (Lizard)

Lacerta
Lacerta: IAU Constellation Map [150]

Properties

Lacerta is a constellation that fills a 201 square degree gap between the large, bright constellations. The constellation is poor in bright stars, expressionless and therefore a little difficult to find. It is located between Cygnus and Andromeda, roughly same declination with Deneb. The northernmost part lies in the band of the Milky Way and the center culminates around midnight on August 28th. [9, 15]

Data for constellation Lacerta [150]
IAU NameLacerta
IAU GenitiveLacertae
IAU Abbr.Lac
English NameLizard
Season (47° N)May … December
Right Ascension21h 57m 30s … 22h 57m 52s
Declination+35° 09' 56" … +56° 55' 05"
Area201 deg2
Neighbours (N↻)Cep, Cyg, Peg, And, Cas

Deep-Sky Object Descriptions

Catalogues

Constellation Lacerta
Constellation Lacerta: Illustration from «Prodromus Astronomiae» by Johannes Hevelius, 1690. Mirrored view from «outside of the celestial sphere» [19]

History

The constellation was only introduced by Johannes Hevelius from Danzig towards the end of the 17th century. The French Augustin Royer proposed the name of the scepter and the hand of Justitia for this area in 1697 in memory of King Louis XIV. The German astronomer Johann Elert Bode named the constellation Gloria in 1787 in honor of Frederick the Great Prussia. These two strongly political proposals were later dropped in favor of a neutral lizard (Lacerta). [7]

References

  • [7] «Der grosse Kosmos-Himmelsführer» von Ian Ridpath und Wil Tirion; Kosmos Verlag; ISBN 3-440-05787-9
  • [9] «Drehbare Sternkarte SIRIUS» von H. Suter-Haug; Hallwag-Verlag, Bern
  • [15] «Hartung's Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes» by David Malin and David J. Frew; Melbourne University Press 1995; ISBN 0-522-84553-3
  • [19] «Prodromus Astronomiae» Johannes Hevelius, 1690; DOI:10.3931/e-rara-456
  • [150] IAU: The Constellations, 11. Oktober 2020; iau.org/public/themes/constellations