Lynx – the lynx

March 19, 2017


lynxThe constellation Lynx is one of a few that is its own translation. It means “lynx” so no fancy steps are required to explain it. In the late 1600’s Johannes Hevelius named it after the wild cat because those animals have eyesight good enough to see the stars here and humans don’t (true story).

I’ve never heard anyone use the expression “eyes like a lynx” but Hevelius apparently did. The main reason for creating this region of sky is for mapping. Something was needed to fill the dim gap.


The brightest star in Lynx is still pretty dim. Its name is Alvashak which has an obscure meaning but probably translates roughly to “Brightest star in Lynx but still pretty dim.” This is one of those giant orange stars that has retired from the main sequence and spends its days dabbling in advanced alchemy. Right now the dabbling is just a hobby but when it dies the galaxy will hold an estate sale so we’ll see what it’s been hoarding.

apm08279There is an interesting object in Lynx, assuming you own the Hubble Space Telescope. It’s called APM 08279+5255 and it’s a quasar whose image is currently being warped by the gravitational lensing of an intervening galaxy.



Carpe Noctem

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