COSMOS / CONSTELLATIONS / MIC
Microscopium (Microscope)
The Microscope. IAU abbreviation Mic. One of the 14 southern constellations that Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille introduced after observing from the Cape of Good Hope in 1751–1752.
STAR CHART
KEY FACTS
- IAU abbreviation
- Mic
- Latin name / genitive
- Microscopium / Microscopii
- Position
- Right ascension ≈ 20 h 58 m; declination −45° to −28°
- Visibility from Türkiye
- Visible in full from anywhere in Türkiye. When it crosses the meridian its centre stands about 14° above the horizon from Ankara.
- Best time to observe
- Best placed at 21:00 Türkiye time around 2 October.
- Number of stars
- 44 stars brighter than magnitude 6.5 in the catalogue; 4 brighter than 5 and 0 brighter than 4.
INTERACTIVE LAB
Where is Microscopium tonight?
The lab opens for Ankara on today’s date. Drag the time slider through the night; the “Best night” button jumps to the date when the constellation is highest at 21:00 (around 2 October). Change the city to compare the view from elsewhere in Türkiye and around the world.
MYTH, HISTORY AND OBSERVING
A faint constellation south of Capricornus, dedicated by Lacaille in 1756 to the compound microscope. Planets have been found in the dusty disc of the young star AU Microscopii. From Türkiye it is low in the south on late-summer evenings.
BRIGHTEST STARS
| Star | Magnitude | Distance (light-years) | Spectral type |
|---|---|---|---|
| γ Mic | 4.67 | 229 | G8III |
| ε Mic | 4.71 | 182 | A0V |
| θ¹ Mic | 4.80 | 197 | A2p |
| α Mic | 4.89 | 378 | G8III |
| ι Mic | 5.11 | 116 | F1IV |
| ν Mic | 5.12 | 234 | K0III |
| HIP 104174 | 5.20 | 328 | K2III |
| HIP 104738 | 5.25 | 108 | F5V |
Magnitude: apparent brightness; the smaller the number, the brighter the star. Distances derive from parallax measurements and are uncertain for distant stars. Source: HYG v4.1 star catalogue (CC BY-SA 4.0).
SOURCES
Position, visibility and best observing time were computed approximately for this page from the catalogue stars (Ankara, 39.9° N). The 88 constellations were adopted by the IAU in 1922; their boundaries were drawn by Eugène Delporte in 1930.