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Sextans: Difference between revisions
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The constellation is the location of the field studied by the COSMOS project, undertaken by the Hubble Space Telescope.Sextans B is a fairly bright dwarf irregular galaxy at magnitude 6.6, 4.3 million light-years from Earth. It is part of the Local Group of galaxies.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sextans Sextans]</ref> | The constellation is the location of the field studied by the COSMOS project, undertaken by the Hubble Space Telescope.Sextans B is a fairly bright dwarf irregular galaxy at magnitude 6.6, 4.3 million light-years from Earth. It is part of the Local Group of galaxies.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sextans Sextans]</ref> | ||
==Etymology== | |||
A sextant is a navigational instrument containing a graduated sixty-degree arc, sixth part of a circle, used for measuring the altitudes of celestial bodies to determine latitude and longitude. Or a sextant is an instrument used to measure the angle between any two visible objects. Its primary use is to determine the angle between a celestial object and the horizon . The alpha and beta stars of Sextans are right on the zero latitude line (zero declination) on the celestial equator. Above the alpha star of Sextans, Regulus, the alpha star of [[Leo]], straddles the ecliptic line. | |||
The word sextant comes from the Indo-European root *s(w)eks, 'Six'. Derivatives: six (from Latin sex, Greek hex), sixteen, sixty, senary(relating to the number six), sex- (six, from Latin sex, six,), semester(se, six + mensis, month), sestet (a poem or stanza containing six lines), sextant (from the Latin stem sextant- from sextus), sextile, siesta ('the sixth hour, i.e. after the sunrise, noon'), Sistine (relating to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, from Latin sextus, sixth). [Pokorny sweks 1044. Watkins]. <ref>[http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/Sextans.htm Constealltions of Words]</ref> | |||
==HGS Session References== | ==HGS Session References== | ||