Constellations · Constellation · Gruis · Gru
Constellation
Grus
The crane, one of the Dutch navigators’ birds, flying with its long neck outstretched below the Southern Fish.
- Genitive
- Gruis
- Area
- 366 square degrees · 45th of 88
- Brightest star
- Alnair · magnitude 1.73
- Naked-eye stars
- 57 brighter than magnitude 6.5
- Highest at midnight
- late August
Look for
Alnair is blue-white; its neighbour Tiaki is red. Together they make a lovely colour contrast to the naked eye.
History
The Arabs knew these stars as part of the Southern Fish. Keyser and de Houtman gave them to a bird of their own.