Visible at latitudes between +45° and −90°
Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of April
Antlia (pronounced /ˈæntliə/, Latin: pump, from Ancient Greek: ἀντλία - antlia, "bilge-water, filth") is a relatively new constellation as it was only created in the 18th century, being too faint to be acknowledged by the ancient Greeks. The IAU adopted it as one of the 88 modern constellations. Beginning at the north, Antlia is surrounded by the sea snake Hydra, the compass Pyxis, the sails (Vela) of the mythological ship Argo and finally the centaur Centaurus.
The French astronomer Abbé Nicolas Louis de Lacaille created 14 constellations for the southern sky to fill some star-poor regions, among them Antlia. It was originally denominated Antlia pneumatica and commemorated the air pump invented by the French physicist Denis Papin.[2]
There is no mythology attached to Antlia as Lacaille discontinued the tradition of giving names from mythology to constellations and instead chose mostly names of instruments used in science.
Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2007). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0007251209. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0691135564.