Musca Constellation Myths and Facts

Musca: The Fly

Pronunciation: MUSS-cuh
Musca, The Fly
Musca as depicted by Johannes Hevelius in his Firmamentum Sobiescianum sive Uranographia (1687). Source image provided by www.RareMaps.com — Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc.
Musca Constellation Profile
Abbreviation: Mus Genitive: Muscae
Origin: Keyser/de Houtman Location: Southern Hemisphere
Best View (North): Best View (South):
Bordering Constellations: Chamaeleon, Apus, Circinus, Centaurus, Crux, Carina

The Myth Behind the Constellation Musca

Musca, “The Fly”, is a late sixteenth-century creation of Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman.   The two created 12 constellations during expeditions under the southern skies. Musca has had several names along the way, including Apis (The Bee), Musca Apis (The Fly Bee) and Musca Australis (The Southern Fly).

Musca Constellation Points of Interest

Interesting stars and objects.

Bright Stars in Musca

These are the stars in Musca with a minimum magnitude of 3.0.
Name Bayer Name Magnitude Color Luminosity Distance
Alpha Muscae Alpha Muscae 2.69  Blue-White 2,093 suns 306 ly