Mensa constellation
Mensa is one of the 88 constellations, and it represents Table Mountain. It is highest in the sky at midnight around December 7, and its whole figure rises above the horizon from 14°N to 90°S.
Mensa at a glance
- Represents
- Table Mountain
- Highest at midnight
- December 7
- Highest at 9 pm
- January 20
- Seen whole from
- 14°N to 90°S
- Stars in the figure
- 2 stars
- Origin
- Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille, 1750s
When to see Mensa
Mensa is highest in the sky at midnight around December 7 and at 9 pm around January 20. Each month it is highest about two hours earlier than the month before.
The times are local solar time. Clocks on daylight saving time read about one hour later.
| Date | Highest at |
|---|---|
| January 15 | 9:20 PM |
| February 15 | 7:20 PM |
| March 15 | 5:30 PM |
| April 15 | 3:30 PM |
| May 15 | 1:30 PM |
| June 15 | 11:30 AM |
| July 15 | 9:30 AM |
| August 15 | 7:30 AM |
| September 15 | 5:30 AM |
| October 15 | 3:30 AM |
| November 15 | 1:30 AM |
| December 15 | 11:20 PM |
Where to look for Mensa
From the northern hemisphere
From 40°N, Mensa never rises. You need to be south of 19°N to see any of it.
From the southern hemisphere
From 35°S, Mensa never sets. It circles the pole and is highest around midnight on December 7, 51° above the southern horizon.
Brightest stars in Mensa
None of the stars of Mensa is brighter than magnitude 2.3, so it is best seen from a dark place away from city lights. Its brightest stick-figure stars are about magnitude 5.
Mensa in myth and history
The French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille added Mensa in the 1750s, after he mapped the southern sky from the Cape of Good Hope.
Constellations next to Mensa
Find Mensa in your sky
Questions about Mensa
Mensa is highest in the sky at midnight around December 7 and at 9 pm around January 20. The weeks around those dates are the best time to look.
The whole figure of Mensa rises above the horizon from 14°N to 90°S, and at least part of it rises from 19°N to 90°S.
Mensa represents Table Mountain. The French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille added Mensa in the 1750s, after he mapped the southern sky from the Cape of Good Hope.