Mensa, the Table, among the very dimmest of constellations,
lies to the south of the Large Magellanic Cloud, the faint
smudge toward top center, which is a satellite galaxy
to ours located 170,000 light years away. Alpha
Mensae is the modestly bright star midway from center to the
left edge. Volans is to the left, Hydrus to the right.
Mensa has a star with an orbiting planet
or brown dwarf.
Photo by Greg Dimijian.