History
The stars that form Grus were originally considered part of Piscis Austrinus (the southern fish). The Arabic name of Gamma Gruis (al-dhanab, "the tail") reflects this origins.
The stars were first defined as a separate constellation by Petrus Plancius, who created twelve new constellations based on the observations of Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser and Frederick de Houtman. Grus first appeared on a 35-cm diameter celestial globe published in 1597 (or 1598) in Amsterdam by Plancius with Jodocus Hondius. Its first depiction in a celestial atlas was in Johann Bayer's Uranometria of 1603.
An alternative name for the constellation, Phoenicopterus (Latin for flamingo), was used briefly during the early 17th century.
Grus represents a crane, though it is sometimes seen as a flamingo. There are no ancient myths associated with Grus.
Read more about this topic: Grus (constellation)
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