Columba
What is Columba?
Constellations· Winter evenings low south (N) · SW of Canis Major. The dove sent out from Noah's Ark, created by Plancius in 1592 in the empty sky south of Canis Major. From mid-northern latitudes it hangs low over the southern horizon in winter.
📍 Visible from where you are right now — computed in your browser
Stars of the figure
| Star | Magnitude |
|---|---|
| Phact | 2.6 |
The 1 brightest of the 5 stars used in the figure (4 lines). Lower magnitude means brighter.
Constellation basics
| Season | winter evenings, low south (N) |
|---|---|
| Brightest star | Phact (α, 2.6) |
| How to find | south of Lepus, south-west of Sirius |
| Area rank | 88 |
Figures are representative approximations. Source: compiled from NASA and IAU public data.
Where the solar system is moving away from — the antapex in Columba
The solar system is moving toward Hercules at about 20 km per second relative to the neighbouring stars. So on the opposite side of the sky there must be a direction we are moving away from. That point, the solar antapex, lies in Columba. Looking at Columba below Sirius on a winter evening, we are facing the direction we are leaving behind.
From the back of a moving train, the scenery seems to shrink toward a single point. In the same way, the stars in this direction appear to draw very slowly together. The change is so small that it shows only when records spanning centuries are compared. Easily overlooked for its lack of bright stars, Columba is, together with Hercules, one of the two markers that reveal how the solar system moves.
The constellation in depth
Columba was created in 1592 by the Dutch mapmaker Petrus Plancius. Its first name was Noah's Dove. In the Bible story, after the great flood, the dove Noah sent out came back carrying an olive branch, a sign that land had appeared again. Plancius placed the bird in an empty patch of sky south of Canis Major and Lepus.
Its two brightest stars look about equally bright but are very different. Phact, the Alpha star, is a blue-white star about 260 light-years away, spinning so fast that it has thrown off a disk of gas around itself. Wazn, the Beta star, is an orange giant about 90 light-years away. Since Phact is nearly three times farther yet looks as bright, it must really be far more luminous.
Mu Columbae is a famous runaway star. It was flung out after a close encounter between stars near the Orion Nebula, and now races through the galaxy at more than 100 km per second. Columba also holds the globular cluster NGC 1851, a good target for a small telescope.
On January and February evenings, go about 20 degrees southwest of Sirius to find Phact near the horizon. From New York Phact climbs only about 15 degrees, and from London barely 5, so you need an open view to the south. From Sydney, in the same season, it stands high in the evening sky and the whole dove is visible. In the Sky view, set a winter evening to see Columba marked just above the horizon.
Frequently asked
- When can I see Columba?
- Columba is best seen in winter evenings, low south (N).
- How do I find Columba?
- To find Columba, look for south of Lepus, south-west of Sirius.
- What is the brightest star in Columba?
- The brightest star in Columba is Phact, at magnitude 2.6.
Related
Figures are representative approximations. Simulated positions use J2000 mean elements.