Apus (The Bird Of Paradise) Constellation

Apus (pronounced ˈeɪpəs) is the Latin name of a constellation situated close to the southern celestial pole. As such, it is easilty visible for most part of the year from the southern hemisphere.

In English language this constellation is also known as "The Bird of paradise" while in astronomical texts and literature this constellation is often abbreviated as "Aps" (according to the standard of the International Astronomical Union - IAU) or as "Apus" (according to a naming convention used by NASA).

The Latin genitive of the constellation name is "Apodis" (pronounced ˈæpoʊdɪs) and it is used to identify some of the brightest stars in this constellation based on the Bayer or Flamsteed star naming convention. For instance: α Apodis (the brightest star of Apus based on the Bayer catalog); or 23 Apodis (the 23th star in the constellation of Apus based on the Flamsteed catalog).

Sky Chart of Apus Constellation

Here we provide a simplified sky chart of the Apus constellation. Alternatively it is possible to locate Apus in the night sky using our Online Interactive Planetarium.

This constellation image is derivatve work based on original work by IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) CC-BY-3.0.

Visibility of Apus Constellation

Apus is currently not visible from Greenwich, UK

The rise and set times provided here are just directional indications and they refer to a point approximately placed at the center of the constellation. In case of very large constellations these times can have little relevance.

Bright Stars in Apus Constellation

The table below lists the top 20 brightest stars in the Apus constellation. See also the complete list of 37 stars brighter than magnitude 6.5 (approximate) in the constellation of Apus. Click on each star to see more details about it.

	HR Number(*)	Star designation	Proper name	Visual magnitude	Color	Notes
	HR5470	α Apodis		3.83	⬤
	HR6102	γ Apodis		3.89	⬤
	HR6163	β Apodis		4.24	⬤	Double;
	HR6020	δ1 Apodis		4.68	⬤	Variable; Multiple;
	HR6417	ζ Apodis		4.78	⬤
	HR5303	η Apodis		4.91	⬤
	HR5336	ε Apodis		5.06	⬤
	HR6021	δ2 Apodis		5.27	⬤	Multiple;
	HR5540			5.34	⬤	Variable;
	HR6411	ι Apodis		5.41	⬤	Variable; Double;
	HR5730	κ1 Apodis		5.49	⬤	Variable; Double;
	HR6135			5.5	⬤
	HR5261	θ Apodis		5.5	⬤	Variable;
	HR5520			5.6	⬤	Double;
	HR5782	κ2 Apodis		5.65	⬤	Multiple;
	HR5955			5.7	⬤
	HR6751			5.85	⬤	Double;
	HR6731			5.86	⬤	Double;
	HR6429			5.88	⬤	Variable;
	HR5547			5.93	⬤
...go to the complete list of 37 bright stars in the constellation of Apus

(*) HR stands for Harvard Revised Bright Star Catalogue, which is also known as the Yale Catalogue of Bright Stars.

Deep Sky Objects in Apus Constellation

The table below lists the 20 brightest deep sky objects in the Apus constellation. See also the complete list of 29 deep sky objects in the constellation of Apus. The list includes objects from the Messier, New General Catalogue (NGC) and Index Catalogue (IC).

	Name	Type	Magnitude
	IC 4499	Globular Cluster	8.56 (V)
	NGC 6101	Globular Cluster	10.08 (V)
	NGC 5612	Galaxy	12.14 (V)
	NGC 5833	Galaxy	12.3 (B)
	IC 4633	Galaxy	12.4 (B)
	NGC 6392	Galaxy	12.98 (B)
	IC 4618	Galaxy	13.02 (B)
	IC 4522	Galaxy	13.1 (B)
	NGC 6209	Galaxy	13.16 (B)
	IC 4654	Galaxy	13.36 (B)
	IC 4661	Galaxy	13.48 (B)
	NGC 5799	Galaxy	13.5 (B)
	IC 4555	Galaxy	13.55 (B)
	IC 4377	Galaxy	13.6 (B)
	IC 4641	Galaxy	13.9 (B)
	IC 4578	Galaxy	13.9 (B)
	IC 4635	Galaxy	13.94 (B)
	IC 4541	Galaxy	13.95 (B)
	IC 4448	Galaxy	13.99 (V)
	IC 4545	Galaxy	14.04 (B)
...go to the complete list of 29 deep sky objects in the constellation of Apus