Constellation Lupus

Constellation Lupus, Author IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg)

The Constellation Lupus is a grouping of stars in the southern hemisphere. Lupus is Latin for Wolf, so this constellation is also sometimes referred to as the “Wolf Constellation“.  Over time it has been known variously as different things including Ur-Idim or “wild dog” by the Ancient Babylonians and Therion or “beast” by a Greek astronomer. Because of where it is positioned so close to Constellation Centaurus, it is sometimes said that Lupus is being held and carried in the arms of Centaurus as an offering or sacrifice for the gods. In fact, it is so close to Centaurus, that for a long time it was even considered part of Centaurus. In the 2nd century BC it was finally separated by Greek astronomer Hipparchus of Bithynia and became its own constellation.

How to locate the constellation lupus
The Constellation Lupus is best viewed and most visible during the month of June. It is located between Constellation Centaurus and Constellation Hydra. It is not the easiest constellation to identify because not only does it not really look too much like a wolf, but also the stars that make up the constellation are fairly faint so it does take some work to identify them.

How many constellations are there?

There are a total of 88 officially recognized constellations in the sky!  Here is a complete list: