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Stars and Sticks| Abbreviation | TrA |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Southern Triangle |
| Pronunciation Guide is based on “Pronouncing Astronomical Names,” published in 1943 by the American Astronomical Society. | try-ANG-gyuh-lum aw-STRAL-ee |
| Genitive The genitive is the Latin possessive form used in star names. For example, Alpha Orionis means “the Alpha of Orion.” | try-ANG-gyuh-lye os-TRAY-lis |
| Best Month | July |
| 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 | Challenging |
| Description | The Southern Triangle was introduced by Dutch navigators Keyser and de Houtman in the 1590s as a navigational aid — its compact, bright triangle of stars made it easy to identify and use as a celestial reference point in the southern skies. It is one of the most compact and easily recognized southern constellations. The brightest star, Atria (Alpha Trianguli Australis), is an orange giant about 415 light-years away; its name is a contraction of 'Alpha Trianguli Australis.' The constellation sits in a rich Milky Way field near the Southern Cross and Centaurus, making it part of one of the finest regions of the southern sky for stargazing. |
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Images: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik · IAU and Sky & Telescope · Stellarium — Full credits →