Constellation Reticulum (Net)
Date:
Southern Hemisphere
Winter
Net
Reticulum
With an area of 114 square degrees, the Net (lat. Reticulum) is the seventh smallest constellation in the sky. The brightest star is Alpha Reticuli, a yellow sub giant with the hundredfold luminosity of the sun and the magnitude of 3.3.
How to spot Reticulum
The stars α, β, δ and ε form a diamond while γ is located inside of it. Reticulum is best seen in winter in the southern hemisphere and lies between the constellations Horologium, Doradus and Hydrus.
History
After the invention of the telescope, the French astronomer Nicolas de Lacaille named some constellations of the southern hemisphere that had not been recognized before. Unlike the 48 constellations of antiquity, which bear the names of mythological figures, he often used the name of technological novelties for the new constellations. However, Reticulum does not represent a conventional fishing net, but the crosshairs with which de Lacaille dimensioned the angular distances of the stars.