Pyxis is a small and faint constellation in the southern sky. The name comes from Pyxis Nautica, Latin for a mariner's compass (as opposed to a draftsman's compass, represented by the constellation Circinus). Introduced by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the 18th century, Pyxis is counted among the 88 modern constellations. In the 19th century, astronomer John Herschel suggested renaming Pyxis to Malus, the mast, since it appears near the old constellation of the ship Argo Navis, but the suggestion was not followed. Pyxis is completely visible from latitudes south of 53 degrees north, with its best evening-sky visibility in February and March. The plane of the Milky Way passes through it. Its three brightest stars—Alpha, Beta and Gamma Pyxidis—are in a rough line; the brightest of these is Alpha (magnitude 3.68), a blue-white star around 22,000 times as luminous as the Sun. Near Alpha is T Pyxidis, a recurrent nova that has flared up to magnitude 7 every few decades. Three star systems have planets, all discovered by Doppler spectroscopy.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyxis

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

303:

Roman emperor Diocletian's first "Edict against the Christians" was published, beginning the Diocletianic Persecution, the last and most severe episode of the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletianic_Persecution

1809:

After standing only 15 years, London's Drury Lane theatre, the third building of that name, burned down (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_Royal,_Drury_Lane

1826:

The Treaty of Yandabo was signed, ending the First Anglo- Burmese War, the longest and most expensive war in the history of British India. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Yandabo

1868:

Andrew Johnson became the first U.S. President to be impeached. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Johnson

1943:

World War II: The Battle of Kasserine Pass, the first major engagement between American and Axis forces in Africa, ended with the Allied forces suffering heavy losses. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kasserine_Pass

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

stochastically: In a stochastic manner; by means of a process involving a randomly determined sequence of events. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stochastically

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Man is innately a creature of love … love is the most powerful force in the universe, and eventually — it's a very slow process — it will conquer.   --Dennis Weaver https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dennis_Weaver