The Constellation Phoenix
by Dominic Ford
Phoenix is a southern constellation which appears highest in the midnight sky in the months around October.
It was among a dozen constellations introduced by Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman which celebrate rare or exotic animals, and first appeared on star maps in 1598.
It contains one second magnitude star, Ankaa, but is otherwise rather faint. Lying well away from the Milky Way, its only deep sky offerings are faint galaxies.
Date First Appeared
1598 (Keyser & de Houtman)
1598 (Keyser & de Houtman)
Sky Area
1.1% of the sky
469.3 square degrees
1.1% of the sky
469.3 square degrees
Messier Objects
Phoenix contains no Messier objects
Phoenix contains no Messier objects
Caldwell Objects
Phoenix contains no Caldwell objects
Phoenix contains no Caldwell objects
Hover the pointer over the name of an object to highlight its position on the starchart to the right, or click to see more information.
| Stars | Open Clusters | Globular Clusters | Galaxies |
| Ankaa (mag 2.4) | NGC 7689 (mag 10.8) | ||
| β-Phe (mag 3.4) | IC 5325 (mag 11.3) | ||
| γ-Phe (mag 3.4) | IC 5328 (mag 11.4) | ||
| TYC8032-1228-2 (mag 3.7) | IC 1633 (mag 11.4) | ||
| ε-Phe (mag 3.9) | NGC 7796 (mag 11.5) | ||
| κ-Phe (mag 3.9) | NGC 7744 (mag 11.8) | ||
| δ-Phe (mag 3.9) | IC 1625 (mag 12.1) | ||
| ζ-Phe (mag 4.0) | NGC 7702 (mag 12.2) | ||
| η-Phe (mag 4.4) | NGC 641 (mag 12.2) | ||
| ψ-Phe (mag 4.4) | NGC 7690 (mag 12.3) | ||
| μ-Phe (mag 4.6) | NGC 312 (mag 12.4) | ||
| ι-Phe (mag 4.7) | NGC 238 (mag 12.5) | ||
| HIP 116602 (mag 4.7) | NGC 323 (mag 12.5) | ||
| λ¹-Phe (mag 4.8) | NGC 98 (mag 12.7) | ||
| HIP 9095 (mag 4.8) | NGC 324 (mag 12.8) | ||
| ν-Phe (mag 5.0) | NGC 862 (mag 12.9) | ||
| φ-Phe (mag 5.1) | IC 1605 (mag 12.9) | ||
| π-Phe (mag 5.1) | NGC 692 (mag 13.1) | ||
| χ-Phe (mag 5.2) | NGC 822 (mag 13.2) | ||
| σ-Phe (mag 5.2) | NGC 92 (mag 13.2) | ||
| υ-Phe (mag 5.2) | NGC 7764 (mag 13.2) | ||
| ρ-Phe (mag 5.2) | NGC 89 (mag 13.5) | ||
| HIP 4890 (mag 5.4) | NGC 454 (mag 13.6) | ||
| HIP 6592 (mag 5.4) | NGC 893 (mag 13.6) | ||
| HIP 2240 (mag 5.4) | IC 1650 (mag 13.6) | ||
| 120-Phe (mag 5.5) | NGC 625 (mag 13.7) | ||
| λ²-Phe (mag 5.5) | IC 1796 (mag 13.7) | ||
| HIP 107 (mag 5.5) | IC 1627 (mag 13.7) | ||
| HIP 9313 (mag 5.6) | IC 1609 (mag 13.7) | ||
| HIP 2711 (mag 5.6) | NGC 328 (mag 14.1) |
