Norma - The Level

Norma is a southern constellation which lies along the Milky Way. It is east of Lupus and south of Scorpius. Norma is best seen from August to January by observers in the Southern Hemisphere.

History and Mythology

Norma was named by the astronomer Nicholas Louis de Lacaille in 1752. It is another of the constellations he created to honor scientific instruments. It was first called Norma et Tegula, which means the Level and Square. It is a modern constellation, so it does not have mythology connected with it.

Notable Objects

The stars of Norma are of 5th magnitude and fainter. In a small telescopes, Epsilon Normae is an interesting double star with components of contrasting colors of blue and yellow.

NGC 6067 and NGC 6087 are a 6th magnitude open clusters in Norma. NGC 6967 is a rich groups with about 100 stars, and is about 6800 light years away. NGC 6087 contains about 40 stars and is 2100 or so light years away. NGC 5999 is a fainter open cluster of magnitude 9, visible in an 8 inch telescope. There are no prominent galaxies in Norma.