The Lynx constellation fills a large gap in the sky between Auriga and Ursa Major. The constellation was named Lynx by Johannes Hevelius due to the exceptional eyesight needed to identify the objects there.
Although it is hard to see, the constellation is certainly worth the effort. The constellation is viewable from the entire northern hemisphere and south to the beaches of Australia. It is a favorite choice of cat owners when naming a star for their feline friends. Two of the most creatively named deep sky objects are located in Lynx.
One unique object in the night sky is the “Intergalactic Wanderer”. NGC 2419 is a globular star cluster that was mistakenly thought to move in an orbit around our Milky Way galaxy.
The Astronaut Memorial Planetarium gave the unbarred spiral galaxy NGC 2683 the unofficial nickname the “UFO Galaxy”. NGC 2683 appears disk-like because it is tilted edgewise when viewed from Earth.
The seven constellations sharing a border with Lynx are Auriga, Camelopardalis, Cancer, Gemini, Leo, Leo Minor and Ursa Major.
Symbol: Lyn
Right Ascension: 08:26
Declination: 46
Diameter (°): 28
Area (square °): 545
Opposition: Jan 24
Size Rank: 28th
Brightness Rank: 53rd
Genitive: Lyncis
Major or notable stars in Lynx
α Lyncis (Alpha Lyncis)
Alsciaukat – 31 Lyncis
38 Lyncis
12 Lyncis
19 Lyncis
6 Lyncis
HD 75898
Deep Sky Objects in Lynx
NGC 2419 (Caldwell 25) - Intergalactic Wanderer
UFO Galaxy – NGC 2683
NGC 2500
Bear’s Paw Galaxy – NGC 2537 (Arp 6)
NGC 2770
NGC 2541
Mythology of the Constellation Lynx
Because it is a newer constellation, there are no myths associated with the constellation Lynx. The wild cat it is named for, the Lynx, has several myths associated with it.
Currently there are 4 species of Lynx in the world. They are the American Bobcat, the Canadian Lynx, the Iberian Lynx, and the Eurasian Lynx. During the Pliocene to early Pleistocene epochs the first Lynx species is also said to have inhabited Europe and Africa.
This elusive wild cat is renowned as mysterious and in some ancient stories even clairvoyant. In some myths, the “Lynx stone”, amber, was thought to be the hardened urine of the Lynx. In another myth, King Lyncus was turned to a lynx for refusing to teach the art of agriculture to his people.