Pyxis, the Magnetic Compass, is a small, faint southern constellation set beside the old ship Argo, added to the sky by Lacaille as a mariner’s compass.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 4 |
|---|---|
| nearest star of the figure | Gamma Pyxidis, 207 light-years (63.6 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | Naos, 1,080 light-years (332 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 5.2 × farther than the nearest |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Pyxis
Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille introduced Pyxis as the mariner’s compass, and placed it next to the stars of Argo Navis, the great ship that he divided into Carina, Puppis and Vela. Though it looks like part of the ship, Pyxis was never in Ptolemy’s Argo; it is a modern instrument moored alongside an ancient vessel. Its few stars form a short line, and the figure as drawn here reaches across to Naos in neighbouring Puppis.
Pyxis lies on the edge of the Milky Way. Its best-known object is T Pyxidis, a recurrent nova: a white dwarf in a close pair that has flared up several times as gas from its companion piles up on its surface and ignites.
Pyxis is best seen on evenings in the southern summer and autumn. From mid-northern latitudes it rises low over the southern horizon in late winter and early spring.
What you see in the piece
Fly out with CONSTELLATIONS (N) on, away from the HUMAN EYE view (E), and the compass needle bends: its nearest star lies several times closer than Naos, the farthest of the figure, and the short line becomes a long one in depth.
Questions
What does Pyxis represent?
Pyxis represents the magnetic compass used by sailors. Lacaille set it beside Argo Navis, the ancient ship, though it was never part of the original constellation.
How far away are the stars of Pyxis?
The nearest star of the figure is Gamma Pyxidis, 207 light-years (63.6 pc); the farthest is Naos, 1,080 light-years (332 pc). The farthest is 5.2 × farther than the nearest.