Lynx constellation

Lynx was introduced by Johannes Hevelius in the late 17th century. The name is a wink: Hevelius reportedly remarked that you would need the sharp eyes of a lynx to make out its faint stars at all. The constellation does indeed stretch as a long, inconspicuous chain between Ursa Major and Auriga. Its brightest star, Alpha Lyncis, is a third-magnitude red giant, and another named star is Alsciaukat (31 Lyncis). A worthwhile telescope target is the very remote globular cluster NGC 2419, nicknamed the “Intergalactic Wanderer”. From Central Europe Lynx is partly circumpolar. It is best placed on winter and spring evenings, when it stands high in the sky, ideally observed under a dark rural sky.