IAU Chart
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Stars and Sticks| Abbreviation | Col |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Dove |
| Pronunciation Guide is based on “Pronouncing Astronomical Names,” published in 1943 by the American Astronomical Society. | co-LUM-buh |
| Genitive The genitive is the Latin possessive form used in star names. For example, Alpha Orionis means “the Alpha of Orion.” | kuh-LUM-bee |
| Best Month | February |
| Visibility | Southern |
| Origin | ModernAdded between the 17th and 18th centuries by astronomers like Hevelius or Plancius to define faint star clusters ignored by the ancients. |
| Author | PlanciusA Dutch cartographer who mapped southern stars and added biblical or symbolic figures like the Dove and the Unicorn. |
| Type | constellation |
| Difficulty | Challenging |
| Description | The Dove was introduced by Petrus Plancius in 1592, originally as 'Columba Noachi' — Noah's Dove — representing the bird released from the Ark that returned with an olive branch signaling the flood waters were receding. Some astronomers connected it to the dove sent ahead of the Argo to test the clashing Symplegades rocks before Jason's ship passed through. The brightest star, Phact (Alpha Columbae), is a blue-white star about 270 light-years away. The constellation contains Mu Columbae — a runaway star violently ejected from the Orion Nebula region about 2.5 million years ago and now hurtling through space at over 100 km per second. |
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Images: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik · IAU and Sky & Telescope · Stellarium — Full credits →