View source for Microscopium

{{Short description|Minor constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere}}
{{Redirect|The Microscope|the instrument|microscope|other uses|Microscope (disambiguation)}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Infobox constellation
| name = Microscopium
| abbreviation = Mic
| genitive = Microscopii
| pronounce = {{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|aɪ|k|r|ə|ˈ|s|k|ɒ|p|i|əm}}, genitive {{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|aɪ|k|r|ə|ˈ|s|k|ɒ|p|i|aɪ}}
| symbolism = the [[Microscope]]
| RA = {{RA|21}}
| dec= {{DEC|−36}}
| family = [[La Caille Family|La Caille]]
| quadrant = SQ4
| areatotal = 210
| arearank = 66th
| numbermainstars = 5
| numberbfstars = 13
| numberstarsplanets = 2
| numberbrightstars = 0
| numbernearbystars = 2
| brighteststarname = [[Gamma Microscopii|γ Mic]]
| starmagnitude = 4.67
| neareststarname = [[Lacaille 8760]]
| stardistancely = 12.87
| stardistancepc = 3.95
| numbermessierobjects = 0
| meteorshowers = Microscopiids
| bordering = {{Plainlist|
* [[Capricornus (constellation)|Capricornus]]
* [[Sagittarius (constellation)|Sagittarius]]
* [[Telescopium]] (corner)
* [[Indus (constellation)|Indus]]
* [[Grus (constellation)|Grus]]
* [[Piscis Austrinus]]}}
| latmax = [[45th parallel north|45]]
| latmin = [[South Pole|90]]
| month = September
| notes=}}
'''Microscopium''' ("the [[Microscope]]") is a minor [[constellation]] in the [[southern celestial hemisphere]], one of twelve created in the 18th century by French [[astronomer]] [[Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille]] and one of several depicting scientific instruments. The name is a [[Latin]]ised form of the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] word for [[microscope]]. Its [[star]]s are faint and hardly visible from most of the non-tropical [[Northern Hemisphere]].

The constellation's brightest star is [[Gamma Microscopii]] of [[apparent magnitude]] 4.68, a yellow giant 2.5 times the Sun's mass located 223 ± 8&nbsp;light-years distant. It passed within 1.14 and 3.45 light-years of the Sun some 3.9 million years ago, possibly disturbing the outer Solar System. Three star systems—[[WASP-7]], [[AU Microscopii]] and [[HD&nbsp;205739]]—have been determined to have [[exoplanet|planets]], while other star —the Sun-like star [[HD 202628]]— has a [[debris disk]]. AU Microscopii and the binary red dwarf system [[AT Microscopii]] are probably a wide triple system and members of the [[Beta Pictoris moving group]]. Nicknamed "Speedy Mic", [[BO Microscopii]] is a star with an extremely fast rotation period of 9&nbsp;hours, 7&nbsp;minutes.

==Characteristics==
Microscopium is a small constellation bordered by [[Capricornus]] to the north, [[Piscis Austrinus]] and [[Grus (constellation)|Grus]] to the east, [[Sagittarius (constellation)|Sagittarius]] to the west, and [[Indus (constellation)|Indus]] to the south, touching on [[Telescopium]] to the southwest. The recommended three-letter abbreviation for the constellation, as adopted by the [[International Astronomical Union]] in 1922, is "Mic".<ref name=pa30_469>{{cite magazine | last=Russell | first=Henry Norris |author-link=Henry Norris Russell | title=The new international symbols for the constellations | magazine=[[Popular Astronomy (US magazine)|Popular Astronomy]] | volume=30 | page=469 | bibcode=1922PA.....30..469R | date=1922 }}</ref> The official constellation boundaries, as set by Belgian astronomer [[Eugène Joseph Delporte|Eugène Delporte]] in 1930, are defined by a polygon of four segments (''illustrated in infobox''). In the [[equatorial coordinate system]], the [[right ascension]] coordinates of these borders lie between {{RA|20|27.3}} and {{RA|21|28.4}}, while the [[declination]] coordinates are between −27.45° and −45.09°.<ref name=boundary>{{Cite journal | title=Microscopium, constellation boundary | journal=The Constellations| url=https://www.iau.org/public/themes/constellations/#mic | access-date=13 July 2012 }}</ref> The whole constellation is visible to observers south of latitude [[45th parallel north|45°N]].<ref name=tirionconst>{{cite web| url=http://www.ianridpath.com/constellations2.html | title=Constellations: Lacerta–Vulpecula | work= Star Tales |author=Ian Ridpath|publisher=Self-published | access-date= 29 November 2014| author-link=Ian Ridpath }}</ref>{{efn|1=While parts of the constellation technically rise above the horizon to observers between 45°N and [[62nd parallel north|62°N]], stars within a few degrees of the horizon are to all intents and purposes unobservable.<ref name=tirionconst/>}} Given that its brightest stars are of fifth magnitude, the constellation is invisible to the naked eye in areas with light polluted skies.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kambič |first=Bojan |title=Viewing the Constellations with Binoculars |publisher=Springer |date=2009 |page=341 |isbn=978-0-387-85354-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3vxLNPNHOcwC&pg=PA340}}</ref>{{efn|1=Objects of magnitude 5.0 are barely visible to the unaided eye in the night skies of city-suburban transition areas.<ref name=bortle/>}}

==Features==
[[Image:Constellation Microscopium.jpg|thumb|left|The constellation Microscopium as it can be seen by the naked eye.]]

===Stars===
{{See also|List of stars in Microscopium}}
French astronomer [[Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille]] charted and designated ten stars with the [[Bayer designation]]s [[Alpha Microscopii|Alpha]] through to [[Iota Microscopii|Iota]] in 1756. A star in neighbouring Indus that Lacaille had labelled Nu Indi turned out to be in Microscopium, so Gould renamed it [[Nu Microscopii]]. [[Francis Baily]] considered Gamma and Epsilon Microscopii to belong to the neighbouring constellation Piscis Austrinus, but subsequent cartographers did not follow this.{{sfn|Wagman|2003|pp=181, 210}} In his 1725 ''Catalogus Britannicus'', John Flamsteed labelled the stars 1, 2, 3 and 4 Piscis Austrini, which became Gamma Microscopii, [[2 Piscis Austrini|HR 8076]], [[3 Piscis Austrini|HR 8110]] and Epsilon Microscopii respectively.{{sfn|Wagman|2003|p=458}}<!-- cites previous 4 sentences --> Within the constellation's borders, there are 43 stars brighter than or equal to [[apparent magnitude]]&nbsp;6.5.{{efn|1=Objects of magnitude 6.5 are among the faintest visible to the unaided eye in suburban-rural transition night skies.<ref name=bortle>{{cite web|url=http://www.skyandtelescope.com/resources/darksky/3304011.html?page=1&c=y|title=The Bortle Dark-Sky Scale|last=Bortle|first=John E.|date=February 2001|work=[[Sky & Telescope]]|publisher=Sky Publishing Corporation|access-date=29 November 2014|archive-date=16 December 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121216144730/http://www.skyandtelescope.com/resources/darksky/3304011.html?page=1&c=y|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}<ref name=tirionconst/>

Depicting the eyepiece of the microscope is [[Gamma Microscopii]],<ref name="motz">{{cite book|last=Motz|first=Lloyd|author2=Nathanson, Carol|title=The Constellations: An Enthusiast's Guide to the Night Sky|publisher=Aurum Press|location=London|date=1991|pages=369–370|isbn=978-1-85410-088-7}}</ref> which—at magnitude of&nbsp;4.68—is the brightest star in the constellation. Having spent much of its 620-million-year lifespan as a blue-white [[main sequence]] star, it has swollen and cooled to become a yellow [[giant star|giant]] of [[Stellar classification#Spectral types|spectral type]] G6III, with a diameter ten times that of the Sun.<ref name=kalergamma>{{cite web| url=http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/gammamic.html |title=Gamma Mic |work=Stars |author= Kaler, James B. |access-date=13 July 2012}}</ref> Measurement of its parallax yields a distance of 223 ± 8 light years from Earth.<ref name=Gaia-DR2gamma>{{cite DR2|6781898461559620480}}</ref>  It likely passed within 1.14 and 3.45 light-years of the Sun some 3.9 million years ago, at around 2.5 times the mass of the Sun, it is possibly massive enough and close enough to disturb the [[Oort cloud]].<ref name=aa575_A35>{{cite journal  | last1=Bailer-Jones | first1=C.A.L.  | title=Close encounters of the stellar kind  | journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics | volume=575 | id=A35 | pages=13 | date=2015 | doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201425221 | bibcode=2015A&A...575A..35B |arxiv = 1412.3648 | s2cid=59039482 }}</ref> [[Alpha Microscopii]] is also an ageing yellow giant star of spectral type G7III with an apparent magnitude of 4.90.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=Alpha+Microscopii&NbIdent=1&Radius=2&Radius.unit=arcmin&submit=submit+id |title = Alpha MicroscopiI  |publisher = SIMBAD |access-date = 15 July 2012}}</ref> Located 400 ± 30 light-years away from Earth,<ref name=Gaia-DR2alpha>{{cite DR2|6780006508937236096}}</ref> it has swollen to 17.5&nbsp;times the diameter of the Sun.<ref name=kaleralfa>{{cite web| url=http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/alphamic.html|title=Alpha Mic |work=Stars |author= Kaler, James B.  |access-date=19 March 2015}}</ref> Alpha has a 10th magnitude companion, visible in 7.5&nbsp;cm telescopes,<ref>{{cite book |author1=Malin, David |author2=Frew, David J. | title = Hartung's Astronomical Objects for Southern Telescopes, with an Addendum for Northern Observatories: A Handbook for Amateur Observers  | publisher = Cambridge University Press |year=1995 |location= Cambridge |page=287 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EQAYGmZT0o8C&pg=PA287 |isbn=978-0-521-55491-6}}</ref><ref name=ridpath07>{{cite book|author=Ridpath, Ian |author2=Tirion, Wil  |date=2007 |title=Stars and Planets Guide|publisher= Princeton University Press|location= Princeton, New Jersey |isbn=978-0-691-13556-4|pages=184–185}}</ref> though this is a coincidental closeness rather than a true binary system.<ref name=kaleralfa/> [[Epsilon Microscopii]] lies 166 ± 5 light-years away,<ref name=Gaia-DR2eps>{{cite DR2|6784024126773616128}}</ref> and is a white star of apparent magnitude 4.7,<ref name=ridpath07/> and spectral type A1V.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=Epsilon+Microscopii&NbIdent=1&Radius=2&Radius.unit=arcmin&submit=submit+id |title = Epsilon Microscopii  |publisher = SIMBAD |access-date = 15 July 2012}}</ref> [[Theta1 Microscopii|Theta<sup>1</sup>]] and [[Theta2 Microscopii|Theta<sup>2</sup> Microscopii]] make up a wide double whose components are splittable to the naked eye. Both are white A-class [[Alpha² Canum Venaticorum variable|magnetic spectrum variable stars]] with strong metallic lines, similar to [[Cor Caroli]]. They mark the constellation's specimen slide.<ref name="motz"/>

Many notable objects are too faint to be seen with the naked eye. AX Microscopii, better known as [[Lacaille 8760]], is a [[red dwarf]] which lies only 12.9&nbsp;light-years from the [[Solar System]]. At magnitude 6.68, it is the brightest red dwarf in the sky.<ref name=st200307>{{cite magazine | first1=Ken | last1=Croswell |date=July 2002 | page=32 | title=The Brightest Red Dwarf | magazine=Sky & Telescope | url=http://www.kencroswell.com/thebrightestreddwarf.html | access-date=15 July 2012}}</ref> [[BO Microscopii]] is a rapidly rotating star that has 80% the diameter of the Sun. Nicknamed "Speedy Mic", it has a rotation period of 9&nbsp;hours 7&nbsp;minutes.<ref name=mnras365_2_530>{{cite journal | last1=Dunstone | first1=N.J. | last2=Barnes | first2=J.R. | last3=Collier Cameron | first3=A. | last4=Jardine | first4=M. | title=The coronal structure of Speedy Mic – I. A densely packed prominence system beyond corotation | journal=[[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]] | volume=365 | issue=2 | pages=530–538 |date=2006 | doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09729.x | doi-access=free | bibcode=2006MNRAS.365..530D |arxiv = astro-ph/0510739 | s2cid=11048210 }}</ref> An active star, it has prominent [[solar flare|stellar flares]] that average 100&nbsp;times stronger than those of the Sun, and are emitting energy mainly in the X-ray and ultraviolet bands of the spectrum.<ref name=aaa478_1_L11>{{cite journal | last1=Wolter | first1=U. | last2=Robrade | first2=J. | last3=Schmitt | first3=J.H.M.M. | last4=Ness | first4=J.U. | title=Doppler imaging an X-ray flare on the ultrafast rotator BO Mic. A contemporaneous multiwavelength study using XMM-Newton and VLT | journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics | volume=478 | issue=1 | pages=L11–L14 |date=2008 | doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20078838 | bibcode=2008A&A...478L..11W |arxiv = 0712.0899 | s2cid=62827486 }}</ref> It lies 218 ± 4 light-years away from the Sun.<ref name=Gaia-DR2bo>{{cite DR2|6778413151435607680}}</ref> [[AT Microscopii]] is a binary star system, both members of which are flare star red dwarfs. The system lies close to and may form a very wide triple system with [[AU Microscopii]],<ref name="Caballero2009">{{cite journal| last1  = Caballero | first1    = J.A. |date=November 2009 | title     = Reaching the boundary between stellar kinematic groups and very wide binaries. The Washington double stars with the widest angular separations
 | journal   = Astronomy and Astrophysics | volume    = 507 | issue     = 1 | pages     = 251–259 | bibcode   = 2009A&A...507..251C | doi       = 10.1051/0004-6361/200912596 | arxiv     = 0908.2761| s2cid = 118194112 }}</ref> a young star which has a [[planetary system]] in the making with a [[debris disk]]. The three stars are candidate members of the [[Beta Pictoris moving group]], one of the nearest [[Stellar kinematics|associations of stars]] that share a common motion through space.<ref name="McCarthyWhite2012">{{cite journal  | last1 = McCarthy | first1    = Kyle | last2 = White | first2    = Russel J. |date=2012 | title  = The Sizes of the Nearest Young Stars | journal = [[The Astronomical Journal]] | volume = 143 | issue  = 6 | pages = 134–168 | bibcode = 2012AJ....143..134M | doi  = 10.1088/0004-6256/143/6/134 | arxiv     = 1201.6600| s2cid = 118538522 }}</ref>

The [[Astronomical Society of Southern Africa]] in 2003 reported that observations of four of the [[Mira variable]]s in Microscopium were very urgently needed as data on their light curves was incomplete.<ref name=cooper>{{cite journal|last=Cooper|first=Tim|date=2003|title=Presidential address: Amateur Observations – Successes and Opportunities|journal=Monthly Notes of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa|volume=62|pages=234–240|bibcode=2003MNSSA..62..234C}}</ref> Two of them—[[R Microscopii|R]] and [[S Microscopii]]—are challenging stars for novice amateur astronomers,<ref>{{cite book |last=Levy |first=David H. |title=Observing Variable Stars: A Guide for the Beginner |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |date=1998 |pages=172 |isbn=978-0-521-62755-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5-O2cd937FMC&pg=PA172}}</ref> and the other two, [[U Microscopii|U]] and [[RY Microscopii]], are more difficult still.<ref name=cooper/> Another red giant, [[T Microscopii]], is a [[Semiregular variable star|semiregular variable]] that ranges between magnitudes 7.7 and 9.6 over 344 days.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Arnold, H.J.P |author2=Doherty, Paul |author3=Moore, Patrick |title=The Photographic Atlas of the Stars |publisher=CRC Press |location=Boca Raton, Florida |date=1999 |page=53 |isbn=978-0-7503-0654-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YjcvJUfnWBAC&pg=PA148}}</ref> Of apparent magnitude 11, [[DD Microscopii]] is a [[symbiotic star]] system composed of an orange giant of spectral type K2III and [[white dwarf]] in close orbit, with the smaller star ionizing the stellar wind of the larger star. The system has a low [[metallicity]]. Combined with its high galactic latitude, this indicates that the star system has its origin in the [[galactic halo]] of the [[Milky Way]].<ref name=pereira2009>{{cite journal |title=High-Resolution Spectroscopic Observations of Four Yellow-Type Symbiotic Stars: CD-43°14304, Hen 3-1213, Hen 3-863, and StHα 176 |author1=Pereira, C.B. |author2=Roig, F. |journal=The Astronomical Journal |volume=137 |issue=1 |pages=118–128 |year=2009 |doi=10.1088/0004-6256/137/1/118 |bibcode=2009AJ....137..118P|doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[HD 205739]] is a yellow-white main sequence star of spectral type F7V that is around 1.22&nbsp;times as massive and 2.3&nbsp;times as luminous as the Sun. It has a Jupiter-sized planet with an orbital period of 280&nbsp;days that was discovered by the [[methods of detecting extrasolar planets#Radial velocity|radial velocity]] method.<ref name="LopezMorales2008">{{cite journal | title=Two Jupiter-Mass Planets Orbiting HD 154672 and HD 205739 | last1=López-Morales | first1=Mercedes | last2=Butler | first2=R. Paul | last3=Fischer | first3=Debra A. | last4=Minniti | first4=Dante | last5=Shectman | first5=Stephen A. | last6=Takeda | first6=Genya | last7=Adams | first7=Fred C. | last8=Wright | first8=Jason T. | last9=Arriagada | first9=Pamela | journal=The Astronomical Journal | volume=136 | issue=5 | pages=1901–1905 | date=2008 | arxiv=0809.1037 | bibcode=2008AJ....136.1901L | doi=10.1088/0004-6256/136/5/1901 | s2cid=119242543 }}</ref> [[WASP-7]] is a star of spectral type F5V with an apparent magnitude of 9.54, about 1.28&nbsp;times as massive as the Sun. Its [[hot Jupiter]] planet—[[WASP-7b]]—was discovered by [[Methods of detecting extrasolar planets#Transit method|transit method]] and found to orbit the star every 4.95&nbsp;days.<ref name="disc">{{ cite journal| title=Wasp-7: A Bright Transiting-Exoplanet System in the Southern Hemisphere| last1=Hellier|first1=Coel| date= 2008 |  journal=The Astrophysical Journal Letters| volume=690| issue=1| pages=L89–L91| doi=10.1088/0004-637X/690/1/L89| last2=Anderson| first2=D.R.| last3=Gillon| first3=M.| last4=Lister| first4=T.A.| last5=Maxted| first5=P.F.L.| last6=Queloz| first6=D.| last7=Smalley| first7=B.| last8=Triaud| first8=A.H.M.J.| last9=West| first9=R.G. | last10=Wilson| first10=D.M.| last11=Alsubai| first11=K.| last12=Bentley| first12=S.J.| last13=Cameron| first13=A. Collier| last14=Hebb| first14=L.| last15=Horne| first15=K.| last16=Irwin| first16=J.| last17=Kane| first17=S.R.| last18=Mayor| first18=M.| last19=Pepe| first19=F.| last20=Pollacco| first20=D.| last21=Skillen| first21=I.| last22=Udry| first22=S.| last23=Wheatley| first23=P.J.| last24=Christian| first24=D.J.| last25=Enoch| first25=R.| last26=Haswell| first26=C.A.| last27=Joshi| first27=Y.C.| last28=Norton| first28=A.J.| last29=Parley| first29=N.| last30=Ryans| first30=R.| bibcode=2009ApJ...690L..89H|arxiv = 0805.2600 | s2cid=15962609}}</ref> [[HD 202628]] is a sunlike star of spectral type G2V with a debris disk that ranges from 158 to 220 AU distant. Its inner edge is sharply defined, indicating a probable planet orbiting between 86 and 158&nbsp;AU from the star.<ref name=nesvold>{{cite journal|author1=Nesvold, Erika R. |author2=Kuchner, Marc J. |date=2015|title=Gap Clearing by Planets in a Collisional Debris Disk|journal=The Astrophysical Journal|volume=798|issue=2 |id=83|page=10|doi= 10.1088/0004-637X/798/2/83 |bibcode=2015ApJ...798...83N|arxiv = 1410.7784 |s2cid=118667155 }}</ref>

===Deep sky objects===
[[File:Arp-Madore 2026-424.tif|thumb|[[Arp-Madore 2026-424]] taken by Hubble.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hubble Captures Cosmic Face |url=https://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1919/ |website=www.spacetelescope.org |access-date=31 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref>]]
Describing Microscopium as "totally unremarkable", astronomer [[Patrick Moore]] concluded there was nothing of interest for amateur observers.<ref name="binocs">{{cite book |last=Moore |first=Patrick |author-link=Patrick Moore |title=Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |date=2000 |page=[https://archive.org/details/exploringnightsk00moor/page/110 110] |isbn=978-0-521-79390-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/exploringnightsk00moor|url-access=registration }}</ref> [[NGC 6925]] is a [[barred spiral galaxy]] of apparent magnitude 11.3 which is lens-shaped, as it lies almost edge-on to observers on Earth, 3.7 degrees west-northwest of Alpha Microscopii.<ref name=bakich2010>{{cite book |first=Michael E. |last=Bakich |date=2010 |page=289 |title=1001 Celestial Wonders to See Before You Die: The Best Sky Objects for Star Gazers |series=Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4419-1776-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qEhpS7d5ZdAC&pg=PA289}}</ref> [[SN 2011ei]], a [[Supernova#Type II|Type II Supernova]] in NGC 6925, was discovered by Stu Parker in New Zealand in July 2011.<ref name=Rochester>{{cite web |title=Supernova 2011ei in NGC 6925 |url=http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/sn2011/sn2011ei.html |website=Rochester Astronomy |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620113815/http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/sn2011/sn2011ei.html |archive-date=20 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[NGC 6923]] lies nearby and is a magnitude fainter still.<ref name="cambridge">{{cite book |author=Moore, Patrick |author2=Tirion, Wil |title=Cambridge Guide to Stars and Planets |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |date=1997 |page=[https://archive.org/details/cambridgeguideto00moor/page/210 210] |isbn=978-0-521-58582-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgeguideto00moor|url-access=registration }}</ref> The [[Microscopium Void]] is a roughly rectangular region of relatively empty space, bounded by incomplete sheets of galaxies from other voids.<ref name=AA-229-1>{{cite journal |author1=Maurellis, A. |author2=Fairall, A.P. |author3=Matravers, D.R. |author4=Ellis, G.F.R. |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics |volume=229 |issue=1 |year=1990 |pages=75–79 |title=A two-dimensional sheet of galaxies between two southern voids |issn=0004-6361 |bibcode=1990A&A...229...75M}}</ref> The [[Microscopium Supercluster]] is an overdensity of galaxy clusters that was first noticed in the early 1990s. The component Abell clusters [[Abell 3695|3695]] and [[Abell 3696|3696]] are likely to be gravitationally bound, while the relations of Abell clusters [[Abell 3693|3693]] and [[Abell 3705|3705]] in the same field are unclear.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Pearson |first=David W. |author2=Batuski, David J. |date=2013 |title=Locating bound structure in an accelerating universe |journal=[[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]] |volume=436 |issue=1 |pages=796–806 |doi=10.1093/mnras/stt1614|doi-access=free |arxiv = 1308.5154 |bibcode = 2013MNRAS.436..796P |s2cid=119271703 }}</ref><!-- cites previous 2 refs -->

===Meteor showers===
[[File:Sidney Hall - Urania's Mirror - Sagittarius and Corona Australis, Microscopium, and Telescopium.png|thumb|Seen in the 1824 star chart set ''[[Urania's Mirror]]'' (in the lower left)]]
The [[Microscopids]] are a minor [[meteor shower]] that appear from June to mid-July.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Molau, Sirko |author2=Kac, Javor |author3=Berko, Erno |author4=Crivello, Stefano |author5=Stomeo, Enrico |author6=Igaz, Antal |author7=Barentsen, Geert |title=Results of the IMO Video Meteor Network |date= July 2012 |journal=WGN, Journal of the International Meteor Organization |volume=40 |issue=5 |pages=181–186 |bibcode=2012JIMO...40..181M }}</ref>

==History==
Microscopium lies in a region where Ptolemy had listed six 'unformed' stars behind the tail of Piscis Austrinus.<ref name=ridpathmic>{{cite web |url=http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/microscopium.html |title=Microscopium the Microscope |work=Star Tales |author=Ridpath, Ian |publisher=Online edition |access-date=22 July 2023|author-link=Ian Ridpath }}</ref> [[Al-Sufi]] did not include these stars in his revision of the ''Almagest'', presumably because he could not identify them.<ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Hafez|first=Ihsan|date=October 2010|title=Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi and his book of the fixed stars: a journey of re-discovery|url=https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/28854/|journal=James Cook University|page=251|type=phd}}</ref> Microscopium was introduced in 1751–52 by Lacaille with the French name ''le Microscope'',<ref name=ridpathlac>{{cite web |url=http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/lacaille.html |title=Lacaille's Southern Planisphere of 1756 |work=Star Tales |author=Ridpath, Ian |publisher=Online edition |access-date=19 March 2015|author-link=Ian Ridpath }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Lacaille, Nicolas Louis |year=1756 |title=Relation abrégée du Voyage fait par ordre du Roi au cap de Bonne-espérance |journal=Mémoires de l'Académie Royale des Sciences |pages=519–592 [589] |url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k35505/f787 |language=fr}}</ref> after he had observed and catalogued 10,000 southern stars during a two-year stay at the [[Cape of Good Hope]]. He devised fourteen new constellations in uncharted regions of the [[Southern Celestial Hemisphere]] not visible from Europe. All but one honoured instruments that symbolised the [[Age of Enlightenment]].{{sfn|Wagman|2003|pp=6–7}} Commemorating the [[Optical microscope#compound microscope|compound microscope]],<ref name=ridpathmic/> the Microscope's name had been Latinised by Lacaille to ''Microscopium'' by 1763.<ref name=ridpathlac/>

==See also==
* [[Microscopium (Chinese astronomy)]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Cited texts===
* {{cite book
  | last = Wagman
  | first = Morton
  | year = 2003
  | title = Lost Stars: Lost, Missing and Troublesome Stars from the Catalogues of Johannes Bayer, Nicholas Louis de Lacaille, John Flamsteed, and Sundry Others
  | publisher = The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company
  | location = Blacksburg, Virginia
  | isbn = 978-0-939923-78-6
  }}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Microscopium}}
* [http://www.allthesky.com/constellations/indus/constell.html The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Microscopium]
* [http://astrojan.nhely.hu/microsc.htm The clickable Microscopium]

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{{Stars of Microscopium}}
{{Constellations}}
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[[Category:Microscopium| ]]
[[Category:Southern constellations]]
[[Category:Constellations listed by Lacaille]]