yttau

Yttau is a lesser-known constellation in the southern sky, located between the constellations of Hydra and Centaurus. It was first cataloged by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century. The constellation is relatively faint and contains no stars brighter than magnitude 4.0. Yttau is named after the Greek letter "Y" (Upsilon), which is the 20th letter of the Greek alphabet.

The constellation Yttau covers an area of 188 square degrees and is visible from latitudes between +40° and -90°. It is best viewed in the spring months from the southern hemisphere. The constellation is home to several notable deep-sky objects, including the globular cluster NGC 2808 and the planetary nebula NGC 3242, also known as the Ghost of Jupiter.

Yttau is not one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union, but it remains an interesting subject for amateur astronomers and astrophotographers. Its faint stars and deep-sky objects provide a challenging but rewarding target for observation. The constellation's name and boundaries were officially adopted by the IAU in 1930, and it has since been included in various star atlases and astronomical software.