The Constellation Directory

Musca

"The Fly"

Musca

By IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Abbreviation: Mus
Genitive: Muscae
Constellation family: Bayer Group
Nearest constellations: Apus, Carina, Centaurus, Chamaeleon, Circinus, and Crux
Right ascension: 12.46h
Declination: -70.34°
Visible between latitudes: +10° and -90°
Square degrees: 138
Luminary: Alpha Muscae
Notable deep sky objects: Nova Muscae 1991, NGC 4833, NGC 5189 (the Spiral Planetary Nebula), the Engraved Hourglass Nebula

About

Musca is a small constellation in the Southern Hemisphere. It is best seen in May.

Musca was first introduced by Johann Bayer in 1603 when he published his star atlas Uranometria. It was formerly referred to as Musca Australis vel Indica or the "Southern or Indian Fly" to differentiate it from a now-obsolete constellation called the Northern Fly, or Musca Borealis.

Mythology

There is no mythology associated with this constellation.