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Anser

The Goose

Abbreviation:Ans
Genitive:Anseris
Origin:Johannes Hevelius, 1690

Anser is an unfortunate goose clamped in the jaws of the little fox Vulpecula. German/Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius (1611–1687) created Vulpecula cum Ansere as one constellation but the figures were labelled separately on his star map. In the early twentieth century, the IAU dispensed with the goose in the constellation name but the brightest star in this constellation, α Vul, is now called Anser.

The extinct constellation of Anser