| Constellation | |
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Norma_IAU.svg) | |
| Abbreviation | Nor |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Normae |
| Pronunciation | /ˈnɔːrmə/, genitive /ˈnɔːrmiː/ |
| Symbolism | the carpenter's square |
| Right ascension | 15h 12m 13.6119s to 16h 36m 08.3235s[1] |
| Declination | −42.27° to −60.44°[1] |
| Quadrant | SQ3 |
| Area | 165 sq. deg. (74th) |
| Main stars | 4 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 13 |
| Stars with planets | 4 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 0 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 0 |
| Brightest star | γ2 Nor (4.01m) |
| Messier objects | 0 |
| Meteor showers | Gamma Normids |
| Bordering constellations | Ara Lupus Circinus Triangulum Australe Scorpius |
| Visible at latitudes between +30° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of July. | |
Norma is a small constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere between Ara and Lupus, one of twelve drawn up in the 18th century by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille and one of several depicting scientific instruments. Its name is Latin for normal, referring to a right angle, and is variously considered to represent a rule, a carpenter's square, a set square or a level. It remains one of the 88 modern constellations.
Four of Norma's brighter stars—Gamma, Delta, Epsilon and Eta—make up a square in the field of faint stars. Gamma2 Normae is the brightest star with an apparent magnitude of 4.0. Mu Normae is one of the most luminous stars known, with a luminosity between a quarter million and one million times that of the Sun. Four star systems are known to harbour planets. The Milky Way, particularly the Norma Arm of the galaxy, passes through Norma, and the constellation contains eight open clusters visible to observers with binoculars. The constellation also hosts Abell 3627, also called the Norma Cluster, one of the most massive galaxy clusters known.