Sextans

American  

[sek-stuhnz] / ˈsɛk stənz /

noun

genitive

Sextantis

1. Astronomy. the Sextant, an equatorial constellation between Hydra and Leo.

2. (lowercase) a bronze coin of ancient Rome, the sixth part of an as, issued during the period of the Republic.

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Sextans British  

/ ˈsɛkstənz /

noun

1. a faint constellation lying on the celestial equator close to Leo and Hydra

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Etymology

Origin of Sextans

< Latin sextāns; see sextant

Example Sentences

The map covers a region of sky about 2.5 times the size of the full Moon, located in the constellation Sextans.

From Science Daily • Feb. 3, 2026

In the Sextans constellation 4,500 light-years away, a dead, magnetic star rotates 592 times in a second, emanating electromagnetic beams like an oscillating lighthouse out into the universe.

From Salon • Aug. 30, 2023

We may just glance at two double stars in the small constellation of Sextans, situated under Leo.

From Pleasures of the telescope An Illustrated Guide for Amateur Astronomers and a Popular Description of the Chief Wonders of the Heavens for General Readers by Serviss, Garrett Putman

Sextans, seks′tanz, n. an ancient Roman bronze coin, worth one-sixth of the as.—adjs.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

The little asterism Sextans, the Sextant, lies in the region between Regulus and Alphard.

From A Field Book of the Stars by Olcott, William Tyler