Observing Columba and Caelum
The Constellations of the Dove and the Chisel
Columba and Caelum are two small Southern Hemisphere constellations with few deep-sky observing targets.
The constellations of Columba the Dove and Caelum the Chisel are generally accepted as Southern Hemisphere constellations although they can be seen by people in the southerly regions of the Northern Hemisphere during spring nights. Those in the Southern Hemisphere view these constellations best in the fall.
The Stars of Columba the Dove
Columba the Dove is located south of Canis Major the Big Dog and Lepus the Hare. Columba's brightest star is Alpha Columbae, or Phact, at magnitude 2.65. Phact lies 268 light-years away. Three degrees to the southeast of Phact is Beta Columbae, or Wazn, at magnitude 3.12. Wazn lies 86 light-years away. About 10 degrees south is Eta Columbae, a magnitude 3.96 star that lies 531 light-years away.
Two more semi-bright stars are found in Columba. One of them is back near Alpha Columbae, just two degrees to its southwest. This is Epsilon Columbae at magnitude 3.86, which lies 277 light-years away. The last notable star in Columba is about nine degrees east of Alpha Columbae. This magnitude 3.85 star is Delta Columbae, lying 237 light-years away.
The constellation of Columba lies just on the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. There are very few targets in Columba for amateur telescopes. One exception is NGC 1851, a globular cluster in the southwest corner of the constellation. NGC 1851 is magnitude 7.3 and lies 39,500 light-years away.
The Stars of Caelum the Chisel
Caelum the Chisel is located just to the west of Columba the Dove. The shape of the sculptor's chisel would be a challenge for anyone to see, for the constellation has only two stars that are 4th magnitude with the rest being dimmer. The brighter of the two is Alpha Caeli at magnitude 4.44 lying 66 light-years away. About 8 degrees to the northeast is the other 4th magnitude star, which is part of a double star. Gamma 1 Caeli is magnitude 4.55 and lies 185 light-years from us. Gamma 2 Caeli is magnitude 6.32 and lies 13 arcminutes away from Gamma 1. The distance from us to Gamma 2 is 334 light-years, about twice as far away as Gamma 1, revealing that the two are not a physical pair but merely a line of sight grouping.
Caelum is 81st in size out of the 88 constellations, giving it a limited range in which to find noteworthy deep-sky objects. And in fact, there are no good deep-sky targets within view of modest telescopes in this constellation.
