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Johann Doppelmayr's celestial chart of Pavo, c. 1742

Pavo is a constellation in the southern sky whose name is Latin for "peacock". It is one of twelve constellations established by Petrus Plancius from the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman. First appearing on a 35 cm (14 in) diameter celestial globe published in 1598 in Amsterdam by Plancius and Jodocus Hondius, it was depicted in Johann Bayer's star atlas Uranometria of 1603. Pavo's brightest member, Alpha Pavonis, is also known as Peacock and appears as a 1.91-magnitude blue-white star, but is actually a spectroscopic binary. Delta Pavonis is a Sun-like star some 19.9 light years distant. Six of the star systems in Pavo have been found to host planets, including HD 181433 with a super-Earth, and HD 172555 with evidence of a major interplanetary collision in the past few thousand years. Pavo also contains NGC 6752, the fourth-brightest globular cluster in the sky, and NGC 6744, a spiral galaxy which closely resembles our Milky Way, with a diameter twice as wide. (Full article...)

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Did you know ...

Jenny Geddes protesting the 1637 Scottish Prayer Book

... that because of violent reactions – such as Jenny Geddes's on 23 July 1637 (pictured) – to a Scottish prayer book, Walter Whitford kept loaded pistols visible to his congregants while using the book?
... that multiple mathematics competitions have made use of Sophie Germain's identity?
... that Julius Shiskin originated the idea that a recession can be identified by two quarters of negative GDP growth?
... that during the creation of Sophitia Alexandra, her designers focused on maintaining an innocent appearance for her face?
... that episodes of Angel, Lost, and The Office inspired the writer of The Flash series finale?
... that the Leeds 13's attempt at staging a holiday at Leeds University Union's expense was taken literally by the British press?
... that Michaela Foster, a New Zealand footballer playing in the 2023 World Cup, is known for her mana?
... that despite Peter and Peter III each serving about 17 years, Peter II's tenure only lasted six months?

In the news

Tony Bennett

American singer Tony Bennett (pictured) dies at the age of 96.
Flooding and landslides in South Korea leave at least 40 people dead and 6 others missing.
In the United States, actors in the SAG-AFTRA trade union go on strike, joining writers in the Writers Guild of America strike.
Flooding and landslides in northern India leave at least 100 people dead.

On this day

July 23: Birthday of Haile Selassie (Rastafari)

Megawati Sukarnoputri

1319 – A fleet led by the Knights Hospitaller sank 22 of 28 ships of the Turkish Aydinid emirate.
1891 – During a visit of the French Navy to Kronstadt in Russia, the two nations reached a secret agreement on a joint response to any future war in Europe.
1921 – The first National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party opened in a house in Shanghai.
1968 – A shootout between police and a Black power group began in Cleveland, Ohio, sparking three days of rioting.
2001 – Megawati Sukarnoputri (pictured) became the first female president of Indonesia after her predecessor Abdurrahman Wahid was removed from office.

John Day (d. 1584)
Tajuddin Ahmad (b. 1925)
Judit Polgár (b. 1976)
Lauren Mitchell (b. 1991)

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Today's featured picture

The scarlet robin (Petroica boodang) is a red-breasted passerine bird in the Petroicidae family (the Australasian robins). The species is found on continental Australia and its offshore islands, including Tasmania. With a length of 12 to 13.5 cm and a mass between 12 and 14 g, the male scarlet robin is black on the head, back and tail, and has a white belly and scarlet breast, with black and white wings. The female matches the male in pattern, but is duller, with brown plumage instead of black and a much more washed-out red on the breast. The scarlet robin feeds on arthropods, such as insects and spiders, adjusting its foraging behaviour seasonally – it feeds mostly on the ground during the winter, but during the summer and spring prey is more commonly snatched from bark and foliage. It is a territorial and monogamous species and defends its nesting territories both from others of the same species and from pairs of the related flame robin. This female scarlet robin was photographed in Blackheath, New South Wales, Australia.

Photograph credit: JJ Harrison

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