ABSTRACT

(the Dove; abbrev. Col, gen. Columbae; area 270 sq. deg.) A southern constellation which lies between Lepus and Pictor, and culminates at midnight in mid-December. It represents Noah's dove and was introduced by the Dutch theologian and geographer Petrus Plancius, who formed it from stars to the south of Canis Major and included it on a celestial chart in 1592.