25Lacerta, The Lizard
NAME: Lacerta (lay-CERT-uh)
SEASON: Summer
CULMINATION: midnight, 28 August
ABBREVIATION: Lac
GENITIVE: Lacertae (lay-CERT-eye)
NEIGHBORS: And, Cas, Cep, Cyg, Peg
BINOCULAR OBJECTS: NGC 7209, NGC 7243
URBAN OBJECTS: NGC 7209, NGC 7243
Lacerta is a small, dim, inconspicuous mid-northerly constellation that has the misfortune to lie surrounded by the large, prominent constellations Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Cygnus, and Pegasus. Lacerta ranks 68th in size among the 88 constellations. It covers only 201 square degrees of the celestial sphere, or about 0.5%. Although its brightest star is only fourth magnitude, Lacerta presents a striking pattern once you know where to look for it. To us, the zig-zag pattern of Lacerta ...
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