Apus (The Bird of Paradise)

Small south-polar constellation named for the birds of New Guinea.

Core Principles & Analysis

• It was charted by Dutch navigators Pieter Keyser and Frederick de Houtman around 1598.
• The name means "footless": early naturalists believed paradise birds flew continuously and never landed.
• It contains no star brighter than the third magnitude.

Specifications & Metrics

• BRIGHTEST STAR: α Apodis
• HEMISPHERE: Southern
• BEST VIEWED: June