Grus constellation

Grus, the Crane, goes back to observations by the Dutch navigators Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman at the end of the 16th century. Petrus Plancius placed its stars on a celestial globe, and Johann Bayer included the constellation in his 1603 atlas. Unlike many of its neighbours, Grus is fairly conspicuous: a long chain of stars forms the bird's neck and body. Its brightest star is bluish-white Alnair, and nearby glows reddish Tiaki, whose name comes from the Māori language. Aldhanab marks the northern end of the figure. The constellation lies south of Piscis Austrinus and bright Fomalhaut. From Central Europe, Grus remains practically invisible: only a few stars of its northernmost part barely clear the southern horizon on autumn evenings, and its bright main stars never rise.