| Constellation | |
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| Abbreviation | Lyn |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Lyncis |
| Pronunciation | /ˈlɪŋks/, genitive /ˈlɪnsɪs/ |
| Symbolism | the Lynx |
| Right ascension | 8h |
| Declination | +45° |
| Quadrant | NQ2 |
| Area | 545 sq. deg. (28th) |
| Main stars | 4 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 42 |
| Stars with planets | 6 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 0 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 1 |
| Brightest star | α Lyn (3.14m) |
| Messier objects | 0 |
| Meteor showers | Alpha Lyncids September Lyncids |
| Bordering constellations | Ursa Major Camelopardalis Auriga Gemini Cancer Leo (corner) Leo Minor |
| Visible at latitudes between +90° and −55°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of March. | |
Lynx is a constellation named after the animal, usually observed in the Northern Celestial Hemisphere. The constellation was introduced in the late 17th century by Johannes Hevelius. It is a faint constellation, with its brightest stars forming a zigzag line. The orange giant Alpha Lyncis is the brightest star in the constellation, and the semiregular variable star Y Lyncis is a target for amateur astronomers. Six star systems have been found to contain planets. Those of 6 Lyncis and HD 75898 were discovered by the Doppler method; those of XO-2, XO-4, XO-5 and WASP-13 were observed as they passed in front of the host star.
Within the constellation's borders lie NGC 2419, an unusually remote globular cluster; the galaxy NGC 2770, which has hosted three recent Type Ib supernovae; the distant quasar APM 08279+5255, whose light is magnified and split into multiple images by the gravitational lensing effect of a foreground galaxy; and the Lynx Supercluster, which was the most distant supercluster known at the time of its discovery in 1999.