Constellation, Compass
Pyxis
A ship’s magnetic compass, placed by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille beside the old ship Argo. It is a modern figure with no myth, since the Greeks did not know the compass.
From New York on October 13, 2026, the centre of Pyxis rises at 4:16 AM, is highest at 8:23 AM (20° above the horizon in the S) and sets at 12:34 PM.
In the 3D sky
The sky over New York turned towards Pyxis. Drag to look around.
Loading 3D view...
Drag to look around, pinch or scroll to zoom.
Evening visibility over the year
Height of the constellation’s centre above the horizon at 10 pm local time on the 15th of each month, from New York. Above about 30° it is well placed.
Name and history
Nicolas Louis de Lacaille created Pyxis during his survey of the southern sky in 1751–52. It shows a mariner’s magnetic compass. He first published it in 1756 as la Boussole and described it as the ‘compas de mer’, the sea compass. In 1763 he Latinized the name to Pixis Nautica, later shortened to Pyxis. The figure sits where the mast of Argo Navis once stood, and its main stars had been listed by Ptolemy as part of that mast. The magnetic compass was unknown in ancient Greece, so there are no legends here.
Pyxis is sometimes said to be one of the pieces of Argo, but it is not. Lacaille split the ship into Carina, Puppis and Vela, and showed the compass apart from them. In 1844 John Herschel wanted to give the mast stars back to the ship as a new part called Malus, the mast. Francis Baily used it in 1845, but the idea did not catch on. Benjamin Gould restored Pyxis in 1879.
Sources: Ian Ridpath, Star Tales: Pyxis
Brightest stars
| Star | Designation | Magnitude | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| α Pyx | α Pyx | 3.68 | 879 light-years |
| β Pyx | β Pyx | 3.97 | 416 light-years |
| γ Pyx | γ Pyx | 4.02 | 207 light-years |
| κ Pyx | κ Pyx | 4.62 | 560 light-years |
| θ Pyx | θ Pyx | 4.71 | 503 light-years |
| λ Pyx | λ Pyx | 4.71 | 192 light-years |
| ζ Pyx | ζ Pyx | 4.86 | 244 light-years |
| δ Pyx | δ Pyx | 4.87 | 247 light-years |
Facts
| Area | about 222 square degrees (65 of 88) |
|---|---|
| IAU abbreviation | Pyx |
| Sky | Southern sky |
| Origin | First shown as la Boussole on Lacaille’s planisphere of 1756, from his observations at the Cape in 1751–52 |
| Stars brighter than magnitude 5 | 8 |
| Centre (J2000) | 9.0 h, -29° |
Deep-sky objects
Galaxies, clusters and nebulae brighter than magnitude 9, from the OpenNGC catalogue. Most need binoculars or a telescope and a dark sky.
| Object | Type | Magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| NGC2627 | Open cluster | 8.4 |
Boundaries: International Astronomical Union, via Astronomy Engine. Areas are computed from the boundaries by sampling (within about one percent). Names and lines: Stellarium. Stars: HYG Database. Deep-sky objects: OpenNGC. Calculated with Astronomy Engine, an open-source library verified against the US Naval Observatory and NASA JPL. Data sources
How to use this page
Choose your place and a night at the top. The answer and the 3D view show where the constellation is, when it is highest and whether it rises at all from where you are. The chart shows its stars and lines, and the tables list its brightest stars and the deep-sky objects inside it.
Frequently asked questions
When is a constellation best seen?
When it is highest in a dark sky, which the page gives for the night you pick. Each constellation is best placed in a particular season, because the stars rise about four minutes earlier every night.
Why can I not see a constellation from my place?
Constellations far south of the celestial equator never rise from northern places, and those far north never rise from southern ones. The page says when this is the case.
What are the constellation boundaries?
The International Astronomical Union divides the sky into 88 areas with official boundaries. The stick figures are only a drawing aid, the boundaries say which constellation a point in the sky belongs to.
Related guides
- How to learn the constellationsStart with one bright pattern you cannot miss, use it as a signpost to its neighbours, and come back a month later: the sky will have turned, and you will know a little more of it.
- Altitude and azimuth: finding things in the skyTwo angles tell you exactly where to look: which direction, and how high.
- Light pollution and dark skies: the Bortle scaleFrom a city centre you can count a few dozen stars. From a truly dark site you can count a few thousand, with the Milky Way bright enough to cast a shadow. The Bortle scale puts a number on the difference.
- Binoculars for stargazing: what to buy and what to look atA pair of 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars shows the craters of the Moon, the moons of Jupiter, dozens of star clusters and the Andromeda Galaxy, for a fraction of the cost of a telescope.