Columba: A faint constellation in the southern sky, named after the Latin word for dove. It was first depicted by Petrus Plancius in the late 16th century as Columba Noachi, referring to Noah's dove from the biblical story of the Great Flood.
History: The constellation has a disputed origin, as some ancient sources mention faint stars in the area, but do not assign them a name or a figure. Some modern authors have suggested that Columba may also represent the dove released by Jason and the Argonauts in Greek mythology, or the dove of the Holy Spirit in Christianity.
Stars and objects: Columba has only two named stars, Alpha Columbae (Phact) and Beta Columbae (Wazn), both of which are visible to the naked eye. It also contains the runaway star Mu Columbae, the exoplanet NGTS-1b, and the globular cluster NGC 1851. Columba contains the solar antapex, the opposite direction to the net motion of the solar system.
References: The article cites various sources from ancient and modern astronomy, literature, religion, and science. It also provides a link to a black hole discovery made by OSIRIS-REx students in 2019�20.
Read about other constellations