English name | Rule or Square | ||||
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Major stars | No star of the constellation exceeds the magnitude 3,5. | ||||
Description | Small constellation of the southern hemisphere, to the southwest of Scorpius. Norma contains some interesting double stars: eta Normae, two independent yellow stars, easily separable also to the naked eye; epsilon Normae, a system constituted by four stars; and iota Normae, observable with small telescopes. In the southern part of the constellation there is NGC 6087, an open cluster of about 35 stars scattered on a rather vast area, visible with binoculars. |
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Mythology and history | The constellation was drawn by Nicolas Louis de La Caille in 1756. It represents the square and the rule of a draftsman. Norma doesn't possess the stars alpha and beta, since after the times of La Caille there were some changes of border: today the stars, which according to the French astronomer were the Norma's principal stars, are part of Scorpius. |