Sextans is a faint, obscure constellation which contains stars of only 5th magnitude and fainter. It is located directly south of Leo and can be seen best from March to June.
History and Mythology
Polish Astronomer Hevelius introduced Sextans in the 17th century. He named it for the sextant that he used to study the stars. It is said that he continued to use the sextant even after the telescope was invented.
Notable Objects
Alpha Sextantis is a type A0 star with a magnitude of 4.49. It is 330 light-years away. Beta Sextantis is a blue-white star of magnitude 5.1.
There are no notable star clusters or nebulae in this constellation. NGC 3115 is a 9th magnitude elliptical galaxy. In a medium-sized telescope, it looks like a cigar with rounded ends. It is known as the Spindle Galaxy, a name it shares with M 102 in Draco, and it is at an estimated distance of 22 million light-years.