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Stars and Sticks| Abbreviation | Hyi |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Lesser Water Snake |
| Pronunciation Guide is based on “Pronouncing Astronomical Names,” published in 1943 by the American Astronomical Society. | HIGH-drus |
| Genitive The genitive is the Latin possessive form used in star names. For example, Alpha Orionis means “the Alpha of Orion.” | HYE-drye |
| Best Month | December |
| Visibility | Southern |
| Origin | ExplorationCreated by 16th-century Dutch navigators (Keyser & de Houtman) to fill the blank spaces of the southern sky during their voyages to the East Indies. |
| Author | Keyser & de HoutmanDutch explorers whose southern star observations during the first Dutch expedition to the East Indies provided the data for 12 new constellations. |
| Type | constellation |
| Difficulty | Expert |
| Description | The Male Water Snake was created by Dutch navigators Keyser and de Houtman in the 1590s to complement the ancient female Hydra of the northern skies. It occupies the far southern sky between the two Magellanic Clouds. The constellation contains HD 10180 — a remarkable star system about 127 light-years away with at least seven confirmed planets, one of the most multi-planetary systems known. The brightest star, Beta Hydri, is the closest bright star to the south celestial pole visible to the naked eye — a yellow subgiant very similar to the Sun, just 24 light-years away and one of the nearest solar analogs. |
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Images: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik · IAU and Sky & Telescope · Stellarium — Full credits →