Lupus

Lupus /ˈljuːpəs/ is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for wolf. Lupus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It lies between Centaurus and Scorpius. ... Stars. Lupus has around 30 stars of 2nd and 3rd magnitude and 70 of greater than 6th, including a number of binary or multiple stars. In his book Star Names and Their Meanings, R.H. Allen gave the names Yang Mun for α Lupi, the brightest star in Lupus, and KeKwan for the blue giant β Lupi, both from Chinese. However, the first name is in error; both stars were part of a large Chinese constellation known in modern transliteration as Qíguān, the Imperial Guards. Most of the brightest stars in Lupus are massive members of the nearest OB association, Scorpius-Centaurus. Deep-sky objects. Towards the north of the constellation are globular clusters NGC 5824 and NGC 5986, and close by the dark nebula B 228. To the south are two open clusters, NGC 5822 and NGC 5749, as well as globular cluster NGC 5927 on the eastern border with Norma. On the western border are two spiral galaxies and the Wolf-Rayet planetary nebula IC 4406, containing some of the hottest stars in existence. IC 4406, also called the Retina Nebula, is a cylindrical nebula at a distance of 5,000 light-years. It has dust lanes throughout its center. Another planetary nebula, NGC 5882, is towards the centre of the constellation. The transiting exoplanet Lupus-TR-3b lies in this constellation. The historic supernova SN 1006 is described by various sources as appearing on April 30 to May 1, 1006, in the constellation of Lupus. ESO 274-1 is a spiral galaxy seen from edge-on that requires an amateur telescope with at least 12 inches of aperture to view. It can be found by using Lambda Lupi and Mu Lupi as markers, and can only be seen under very dark skies. It is 9 arcminutes by 0.7 arcminutes with a small, elliptical nucleus. [Lupus (constellation). Wikipedia]