Triangulum Australe Constellation: The Ultimate Guide

Triangulum Australe is classified as one of the 88 modern constellations, meaning that it has no associated history in ancient Western cultures because it was not visible in those regions.

Triangulum Australe is one of the minor constellations, and its stars were visible to the naked eye to southern observers. The Wardaman people of the Northern Territory in Australia perceived the stars of the Triangulum Australe as the tail of the Rainbow Serpiente, which stretched from Crux to Scorpius.

In Europe, it was necessary to wait for the era of ship explorations to be able to record its stars and boundaries clearly for the first time.

Triangulum Australe was one of twelve constellations named by cartographer Petrus Plancius from observations made by navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman in 1592.

The constellation Triangulum Australe first appears publicly on a celestial globe 35 centimeters in diameter (14 inches), published in 1597 in Amsterdam by Plancius and Jodocus Hondius.

Later in 1776, the French explorer and astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille would name the constellation Triangulum after one of the tools used by cartographers to measure and study celestial bodies.

Years later, the name would be changed to Triangulum Australe so that people would not confuse it with the constellation Triangulum, located in the northern hemisphere.

In 1922 the International Astronomical Association added the constellation Triangulum Australe to the 88 official night sky constellations list. Since then, it has not undergone significant changes in its boundaries or name.

Currently, the constellation Triangulum Australe covers an area of only 110 square degrees. This makes it the sixth most minor constellation in the night sky among the 88 constellations in the night sky.

Triangulum Australe resides in the third quadrant of the Southern Hemisphere (SQ3) between latitudes 25° N and 90° S, which means that we can see the constellation in the night sky from all the countries of the southern hemisphere of the Earth and some countries of the northern hemisphere.

The constellation Triangulum Australe is visible in the Americas, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.

Triangulum Australe is not visible in regions above 25° N such as the USA, Canada, Europe, Russia, Greenland, Japan, Mexico, and Alaska.

The best month to visualize the constellation Triangulum Australe is July, which is visible during the summer in the northern hemisphere. While in the southern hemisphere, it is visible during winter.

The constellation Triangulum Australe is tiny but has stars of the first magnitude and is close to the constellation Centaurus.

The easiest way to locate the constellation Triangulum Australe is by drawing an imaginary straight line from the constellation Centaurus to the constellation Pavo; halfway, we will find the constellation Triangulum Australe.

The constellations bordering Triangulum Australe are Norma, Ara, Circinus, and Apus.

In addition, Triangulum Australe belongs to the family of constellations Hercules; these include Aquila, Ara, Centaurus, Corona Australis, Corvus, Crater, Crux, Cygnus, Hercules, Hydra, Lupus, Lyra, Ophiuchus, Sagitta, Scutum, Sextans, Serpens, and Vulpecula.

The constellation Triangulum Australe officially contains 35 stars, of which 5 form the central figure of the constellation; these are Atria, Betria, Gatria, Delta Triangulum Australis, and Epsilon Triangulum Australis.

It is the brightest star in the constellation Triangulum Australe, with an apparent magnitude of +1.91.

Atria is an orange giant of spectral type K2II-III with an uncertain surface temperature of between 3970 and 4400 K. At a distance of 415 light-years from the Solar System, it has a radius about 130 times larger than the solar radius. If it were in the place of the Sun, its surface would reach the orbit of Venus.

With an apparent magnitude of +2.83, it is the second brightest star in the constellation Triangle Australe.

Beta Trianguli Australis is halfway through its stage as a main-sequence star. Of spectral type F1V and 7220 K of temperature, it shines with a luminosity 8.5 times greater than the Sun.

Also called Gatria is the third brightest star in the constellation Triangulf Australe with an apparent magnitude of +2.88.

Gatria is located 283 light-years from Earth and is a white main-sequence star of spectral type A1V1 with an effective temperature of 10,060 K.

Triangulum Australe is also home to several deep-sky objects. Deep-sky objects often mean star clusters, nebulae (body of interstellar clouds), or galaxies.

In the case of Triángulm Australe has few deep-sky objects and only has two notable sky objects; these are:

It is a planetary nebula with a violet color in the constellation Triangulum Australe; it is the most notable everyday sky object in the constellation.

NGC 5979 has an elliptical shape; the estimated distance to Earth, based on metal emissions, is about 11,700 light-years.

It is a faint star cluster with about 30 stars located 2,700 light-years away.

• Triangulum Australe is a constellation located primarily in the Southern Hemisphere. Its name comes from Latin and means "Triangle of the South."
• Triangulum Australe is one of the 88 modern constellations, so its name is not derived from a myth, history, or ancient legend like the most famous constellations.
• The constellation Triangulum Australe lies between 25° N and 90° S. The best month to observe the constellation is July.
• The easiest way to locate the constellation Triangulum Australe is by drawing an imaginary straight line from the constellation Centaurus to the constellation Pavo; halfway, we will find the constellation Triangulum Australe.
• The brightest star in the constellation Triangulum Australe is Atria (Alpha Trianguli Australis /α TrA /HD 150798), with an apparent magnitude of +1.91.
• The most notable deep sky body in the constellation Triangulum Australe is the Planetary Nebula NGC 5979.

1. https://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/triangulum-australe-constellation/
2. http://www.seasky.org/constellations/constellation-triangulum-australe.html
3. https://www.britannica.com/place/Triangulum-Australe
4. https://theskylive.com/sky/constellations/triangulum_australe-constellation