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Indus

The Indian

Constellation of the southern sky

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GenitiveIndi
AbbreviationInd
Constellation FamilyBayer
Celestial QuadrantSQ4
Right Ascension20h29 to 23h28
Declination-44.96° to -74.45°
Area (sq deg)294
Brightest StarThe Persian
Optimum VisibilityAugust / September (Usually visible from southern latitudes)
NotesAs small, narrow constellation of the southern hemisphere, running southwards from the bright star Alnair in Grus. Indus itself contains few distinctive stars, with the brightest being third-magnitude Alpha Indi, also known by its common name of 'The Persian'.
Map of Indus Map of Indus
Relative Galactic Position of Indus

The constellation Indus represents a broad, thin 'slice' of the southern sky.

Just a century after Columbus' discovery of the Americas, Johann Bayer popularised the name Indus for this region of the southern sky. Perhaps the best known of Indus' stars is Epsilon Indi, which lies just twelve light years from the Sun.

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