Felis (constellation)

The cat ( felis Latin ) is a constellation of the southern sky, which is not among the 88 recognized by the International Astronomical Union constellations.

The cat is part of the official constellation Hydra. It is located southwest of the star μ Hydrae (42 Hya ) and consists only of faint stars up to 5m size class. South of the cat's constellation air pump is located and to the west of it the constellation compass.

The constellation " Felis " by Jérôme Lalande was introduced in its sky map from 1799 and it can be found among others in the famous star catalog of Johann Elert Bode. One motivation for this may have been to annoy the poet Voltaire, who did not like cats, and frequently railed that they had the recording under the 33 Constellation Animals not make it. Lalande any case cited as reasons: I like cats. If this cat scratching at the sky maps. The starry sky has cost me enough to worry about, now I can have a joke with them.

Although the domestic cat is missing today among the 88 recognized IAU constellation, so make at least three of the IAU constellations taxonomically cats is: Lion Little Lion and Lynx.