Octans (the octant) is an inconspicuous
constellation introduced by
Nicolas Louis de Lacaille. It is notable mainly as the location of the south celestial pole. Its star σ Octantis is closest to the pole, but it is so faint that it is practically useless as a "
south star". Fortunately, the constellation
Crux, the Southern Cross, points at the pole.
All Wikipedia text
is available under the
terms of the GNU Free Documentation License