Lynx is a faint northern constellation between Ursa Major and Auriga, named, its inventor said, because only the lynx-eyed could make it out at all.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 8 |
|---|---|
| nearest star of the figure | HIP 44248, 52.4 light-years (16.1 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | HIP 44700, 817 light-years (251 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 16 × farther than the nearest |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Lynx
Lynx is not an ancient figure. The Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius drew it in a dim gap of sky between the Great Bear, the Charioteer and the Twins, and gave it a name that was half a joke: anyone wishing to see it would need the eyes of a lynx. There is no animal outline in its stars, only a long, crooked line running north to south.
Its brightest star, Alpha Lyncis, is an orange-red giant, a cool star swollen late in life, and the only member of the figure that stands out without effort. The rest are faint enough to vanish under suburban skies. Alsciaukat, an orange giant, sits along the same chain. Lynx is a reminder that some of the modern constellations exist mainly to fill the map rather than to draw a picture.
From the northern hemisphere Lynx is well placed on winter and spring evenings, high overhead from mid-northern latitudes. From the southern hemisphere it stays low in the north or never rises.
What you see in the piece
With CONSTELLATIONS (N) on and the HUMAN EYE view (E) left behind, the long line of Lynx unravels as you fly: its nearest drawn star lies close to the Sun, its farthest many times deeper, and the chain was only ever a coincidence of direction.
Questions
How far away are the stars of Lynx?
The nearest star of the figure is HIP 44248, 52.4 light-years (16.1 pc); the farthest is HIP 44700, 817 light-years (251 pc). The farthest is 16 × farther than the nearest.
Why is the constellation called Lynx?
Johannes Hevelius named it after the lynx because the figure is so faint that, as he put it, you would need the eyes of a lynx to see it.