Tucana Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Tucana
Constellation
List of stars in Tucana
Abbreviation	Tuc
Genitive	Tucanae
Pronunciation	genitive
Symbolism	the Toucan
Right ascension	22^h 08.45^m to 01^h 24.82^m
Declination	−56.31° to −75.35°
Quadrant	SQ1
Area	295 sq. deg. (48th)
Main stars	3
Bayer/Flamsteed stars	17
Stars with planets	5
Stars brighter than 3.00^m	1
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)	2
Brightest star	α Tuc (2.87^m)
Messier objects	None
Bordering constellations	Grus Indus Octans Hydrus Eridanus (corner) Phoenix
Visible at latitudes between +25° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of November.

Tucana is a constellation in the southern sky. It is named after the toucan, a colorful bird. This constellation is not very large, but it holds some amazing objects to explore. These include a famous star cluster and part of a nearby galaxy!

Tucana: The Toucan Constellation
- Where is Tucana?
- Stars and Deep-Sky Objects
Images for kids
See also

Tucana: The Toucan Constellation

Tucana is a constellation that looks like a toucan bird. It is located in the southern part of the sky. This constellation was first described by Dutch astronomers in the late 1500s.

Where is Tucana?

You can find Tucana in the southern sky. It is best seen in November. It is surrounded by other constellations. These include Grus (the Crane) and Hydrus (the Water Snake).

It is a small constellation. It ranks as the 48th largest constellation in the night sky.

Stars and Deep-Sky Objects

Even though Tucana is small, it has some very interesting things to see. It has a few bright stars and some amazing objects far away in space.

Alpha Tucanae: The Brightest Star

The brightest star in Tucana is called Alpha Tucanae. It is a giant star that shines with a magnitude of 2.87. This means it is quite easy to see with your eyes from a dark place.

The Small Magellanic Cloud

A big part of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is found within Tucana. The SMC is a dwarf galaxy. It is a smaller galaxy that orbits our own Milky Way galaxy. It looks like a cloudy patch in the night sky.

The SMC is one of the closest galaxies to the Milky Way. It is a great place for scientists to study how stars form.

47 Tucanae: A Star Cluster

Tucana is also home to a famous object called 47 Tucanae. This is a globular cluster. A globular cluster is a huge ball of hundreds of thousands of very old stars. These stars are all held together by gravity.

47 Tucanae is one of the brightest globular clusters you can see. It is the second brightest after Omega Centauri. It is a popular target for stargazers and astronomers.

Other Interesting Objects

Inside the Small Magellanic Cloud, there is an open star cluster called NGC 299. Open clusters are groups of younger stars. They are not as tightly packed as globular clusters.

Another interesting object is the globular cluster NGC 121. This cluster is also located within the Small Magellanic Cloud. It is one of the oldest clusters known in that galaxy.

Images for kids

The "southern birds" as seen in Johann Bayer's Uranometria. Tucana (as "Toucan") is in the middle.
Sidekick or star of the show?
Most of the Small Magellanic Cloud lies within Tucana.
Globular Cluster 47 Tuc. Credit ESO
Globular cluster NGC 121.
Open star cluster NGC 299 is located within the Small Magellanic Cloud.