Properties

The constellation itself is relatively inconspicuous, but the toucan is easy to find because the Small Magellanic Cloud with the bright globular cluster 47 Tucanae is located in its southern part to the west like a blurred star. The area of this constellation is 295 square degrees and the center culminates around midnight on September 17th. ^{[9, 15]}

Catalogues

• Yale Bright Star Catalog (HR)
• New General & Index Catalogue (NGC/IC)
• Galactic Planetary Nebulae (PNG)
• Milky Way Globular Clusters
• Principal Galaxies Catalogue (PGC)

History

The constellation was introduced by Johann Bayer in 1603. It represents a toucan or pepper eater (Rhamphastidae), a bird native to the forest areas of Central and South America. These birds have a powerful, high and often very vividly colored beak. ^{[6, 7]}