Telescopiumis an unremarkable constellation south of Sagittarius and was invented by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. In its original form, it represented a large telescope supported by a winch, but it is a poor tribute to such an important instrument. Its brightest star is Alpha Telescopii, magnitude 3.5.
The Facts
Depiction: The Telescope
Pronounced: tell-eh-SKO-pee-um
Genitive: Telescopii
Abbreviation: Tel
Highest in the Sky: July to August
Size Ranking: 57th
Coverage Area: 252 Sq. Degrees
Right Acension: 19 hours
Declination: -50°
Visibility: 30°N to 90°S
Notable Objects
NGC 6584: Globular cluster
NGC 6868: Elliptical galaxy
Dunlop 227: Binary star
Best Viewed Objects/Stars
Delta Telescopii
An optical double star divisible without the aid by those with good eyesight and easy to see with binoculars. Delta-1, magnitude 4.9, is about 800 light-years away; Delta-2 is of magnitude 5.1 and lies more than 1,100 light-years away.
