The constellation Pavo (Latin for “peacock”) is a southern constellation that is best seen in the summer. It is home to some of the brightest stars in the sky, including Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to Earth.
Pavo was first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. It is one of the 48 constellations listed in his Almagest. Pavo lies between Triangulum Australe and Ara in the southern sky.
Pavo contains several interesting objects for amateur astronomers to observe. The Peacock Star Cluster (NGC 6752) is a bright globular cluster that can be seen with binoculars or a small telescope. The Coal Sack Nebula (NGC 4755) is another pretty sight; it appears as a dark patch against the background stars when viewed through binoculars or a telescope.
Pavo also contains two bright galaxies: Centaurus A (NGC 5128) and NGC 6744, both of which can be seen with binoculars or a small telescope under dark skies. Centaurus A is an elliptical galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its center, while NGC 6744 is a spiral galaxy similar to our own Milky Way Galaxy.