Columba

Columba (abbreviation: Col), the Dove (as released by Noah), is a small southern constellation, the main part of which is a noticeable triangle of stars set into a fairly blank area of sky.

Mu Columbae is a blue star (type O9.5, magnitude 5.16) that is one of three runaway stars diverging from a point in Orion with a speed of about 100 kilometers per second. The other two are AE Aurigae and 53 Arietis. According to one theory, these stars once belonged to a quadruple system, of which the fourth member exploded in a supernova, about 3 million years ago, pushing the other three stars away in different directions.

Columba also contains the globular cluster NGC 1851 (magnitude 7.1; diameter 11'; distance 40,000 light-years; RA 05h 14.1m , Dec –40° 2.8'). See below for details of the constellation's brightest stars.

NGC 1851 in ultraviolet. Credit: NASA/Galex.

Stars brighter than magnitude 4.0
star	vis mag	abs mag	spec type	distance (ly)	RA (h m s)	Dec (° ' ")
Alpha (Phakt)	2.65	-1.93	B7IVe	268	05 39 39	-34 04 27
Beta (Wasn)	3.12	1.01	K1III	86	05 50 58	-35 46 06
Delta	3.85	-0.46	G7II	237	06 22 07	-33 26 11
Epsilon	3.86	-0.79	K1IIa	277	05 31 13	-35 28 15