Horologium – The Pendulum Clock

Horologium is one of the 88 constellations within the celestial sphere.

Horologium is one of the 29 constellations that represents an object.

Symbolism: Horologium is also known as ‘The Pendulum Clock’

History & Mythology

Introduced by French astronomer Nicolas Louis De Lacaille in the 1750’s, Horologium is a quite small and faint constellation in the southern sky. Horologium represents a clock used for time keeping by astronomers. The centre of the clocks face if marked by Alpha Horologii, with the pendulum swinging between stars Beta & Lambda. The collection of sparse stars doesn’t contain any stars brighter than a magnitude of 3.9. Making the small and faint constellation unremarkable.  

Key Data

Bordering Constellations: Horologium is bordered by constellations Caelum, Eridanus, Dorado, Hydrus & Reticulum.

Sky Chart #: 2.

Star Raking: 58th largest constellation in the celestial sphere. 

Main Stars: Reticulum consists of 6 main stars.

Brightest Star: Alpha Horologii.

Kids Fun Facts Corner

# 1. Horologium has 3 stars with planets.

# 2. Horologium has 3 Deep-Sky Objects. NGC 1261, NGC 1512 & Apr-Madore 1 (AM1)

# 3. Alpha Horologii is the brightest star in Horologium.

Q&A Corner

Q. What is Horologium also known as?

Q. How many main stars does Horologium have?

Q. What is the brightest star in Horologium?

Q. How many stars have planets in Horologium?

Q. What number star ranking is Horologium in the celestial sphere?

Download questions about the Horologium Constellation here: Horologium (answers are on this page)

Teachers. For more in depth work sheets on constellations. Click on Kidskonnect Worksheets  

For further reading and more info on the Horologium Constellation visit www.constellation-guide.com/Horologium