DMI image reference Hyi. « Previous || Next » Constellations A » H || Constellations I » V
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Image and text ©2008 Akira Fujii/David Malin Images.
In the picture above south is at the top and the image covers 31.8 x 39.8 degrees.
Image centre is located at 02:23:32.3, -70:44:36 (H:M:S, D:M:S, J2000) Astrometric data from Astrometry.net.
Best seen in the early evening in September
Hydrus, the Lesser Water Snake is one of Johann Bayer's less interesting constellations, intended as the southern counterpart of Hydra, the Great Water Snake. It winds between the two Magellanic Clouds between the south celestial pole (SCP) and Eridanus. So uninteresting is this part of the sky that we do not have a photograph of the complete constellation of Hydrus, except the wide field image centred on Horologium. However, the image above was intended as a portrait of the Magellanic Clouds circling below the south celestial pole and it shows the constellation unconventionally, with south at the top (and the alpha star below the horizon). The complete outline of Hydrus is show at a smaller scale on the wide angle image that includes Horologium, Phoenix, Pictor and the south celestial pole
Constellations adjoining Hydrus Dorado, Eridanus, Horologium, Mensa, Octans, Reticulum, Tucana.