Eridanus constellation
Latin Eridanus, genitive Eridani, abbreviation Eri
North up, east to the left, as you see the sky. The lines are a common figure; the stars are from the catalogue.
The myth
A river into which Phaethon fell when he could not control his father's sun chariot. It winds from Orion's foot far to the south; its mouth, the bright star Achernar, never rises for Europe.
When can Eridanus be seen?
It stands highest around 10 pm in December. It can be seen from everywhere south of 54°N, and it never sets south of 87°S.
The brightest stars
| Star | Designation | Magnitude | Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Achernar | α Eri | 0.46 | bluish |
| Cursa | β Eri | 2.79 | white |
| Zaurak | γ Eri | 2.95 | reddish |
| Acamar | θ1 Eri | 3.24 | white |
| Rana | δ Eri | 3.54 | yellow |
| – | φ Eri | 3.56 | bluish |
| Beemim | υ4 Eri | 3.56 | bluish |
| Angetenar | τ4 Eri | 3.69 | reddish |
The smaller the number, the brighter: below 1 are the brightest stars of the sky, 4 is hard to see under a city sky. Greek letters after Johann Bayer (1603).