Horologium - The Clock

Learn about the constellation Horologium - The Clock, location, facts, mythology, meteor showers and deep space objects.

Horologium is one of the lesser southern constellations.

Location: Southern Constellation 3h RA -60° Dec

Originally named Horologium Oscillitorium by Abb, its name means "the clock" in Latin.

Horologium Mythology

Since it was invented in the 17th century, and not visible in the Mediterranean there is no earlier mythology associated with it.

Horologium Deep Space Objects

The Horologium Supercluster is a massive supercluster about 550 million light-years across and covering an area of 12°x12°. The nearest part is approximately 700 million light-years distant from the Sun, and the farthest is about 1.2 billion light-years away.

NGC 1261 is a globular cluster consisting mainly of very faint stars. It was discovered by the Scottish astronomer James Dunlop on September 28, 1826.

NGC 1512 is a barred spiral galaxy in Horologium also discovered by James Dunlop. The galaxy is particularly notable for its starburst ring, composed of young clusters and extending about 2400 light-years across. It has an apparent magnitude of 11.1, which makes it bright enough to be observed in amateur telescopes.

In this table, the observation month represents the month in which the object reaches its highest point in the sky. It can also be viewed a few months before and after depending on your location. Direction is the compass direction in which the object is located, with Z meaning Zenith or overhead.