Apus Constellation

Apus as depicted by Johannes Hevelius in his Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia (1687).

The Myth Behind the Constellation Apus

The constellation Apus, “the Bird of Paradise”, was created by explorers in the 16^th century.  It does not represent the bird of paradise flower, but the colorful bird found in New Guinea.  Apus comes from the Greek word apous, meaning “footless.”  Some sources say this may be from the Indian practice of cutting off the unsightly legs of the bird before offering it as a gift.

Apus Constellation Points of Interest

Interesting stars and objects.

Bright Stars in Apus

There are no stars in Apus with a magnitude of 3.0 or brighter.