Editing Musca (section)

{{short description|Constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere}}
{{about|the southern constellation|the fly genus|Musca (fly)|other uses}}
{{featured article}}

{{Infobox constellation
| name = Musca
| abbreviation = Mus
| genitive = Muscae
| pronounce =
  {{plainlist |
* {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ʌ|s|k|ə}}
* genitive {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ʌ|s|iː}}
  }}
| symbolism = the [[Fly]]
| RA = {{RA|11|19.3}} to {{RA|13|51.1}}<ref name="boundary"/>
| dec = −64.64° to −75.68°<ref name="boundary"/>
| family = [[Bayer Family|Bayer]]
| quadrant = SQ3
| areatotal = 138
| arearank = 77th
| numbermainstars = 6
| numberbfstars = 13
| numberstarsplanets = 3
| numberbrightstars = 1
| numbernearbystars = 1
| brighteststarname = [[Alpha Muscae|α Mus]]
| starmagnitude = 2.69
| neareststarname = [[LP 145-141]]
| stardistancely = 15.07
| stardistancepc = 4.62
| numbermessierobjects = 0
| meteorshowers =
| bordering =
  {{plainlist |
* [[Apus]]
* [[Carina (constellation)|Carina]]
* [[Centaurus]]
* [[Chamaeleon]]
* [[Circinus (constellation)|Circinus]]
* [[Crux]]
  }}
| latmax = [[10th parallel north|10]]
| latmin = [[South Pole|90]]
| month = May
| notes =
}}
{{Language with name/for|la|'''Musca'''|the [[fly]]}} is a small [[constellation]] in the deep southern sky. It was one of 12 constellations created by [[Petrus Plancius]] from the observations of [[Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser]] and [[Frederick de Houtman]], and it first appeared on a [[globe#Celestial|celestial globe]] {{Convert|35|cm|in|abbr=on}} in diameter published in 1597 (or 1598) in Amsterdam by Plancius and [[Jodocus Hondius]]. The first depiction of this constellation in a [[Celestial cartography|celestial atlas]] was in [[Johann Bayer]]'s ''[[Uranometria]]'' of 1603. It was also known as {{Language with name/for|la|'''Apis'''|the [[bee]]|links=no}} for 200 years. Musca remains below the horizon for most Northern Hemisphere observers.

Many of the constellation's brighter stars are members of the [[Scorpius–Centaurus association]], a loose group of hot blue-white stars that appears to share a common origin and motion across the [[Milky Way]]. These include [[Alpha Muscae|Alpha]], [[Beta Muscae|Beta]], [[Gamma Muscae|Gamma]], [[Zeta2 Muscae|Zeta<sup>2</sup>]] and (probably) [[Eta Muscae]], as well as [[HD 100546]], a blue-white [[Herbig Ae/Be star]] that is surrounded by a complex [[debris disk]] containing a large [[exoplanet|planet]] or [[brown dwarf]] and possible protoplanet. Two further star systems have been found to have planets. The constellation also contains two [[Classical Cepheid variable|cepheid variables]] visible to the naked eye. [[Theta Muscae]] is a triple star system, the brightest member of which is a [[Wolf–Rayet star]].