Which constellation's name is Latin for "dove"?

Which constellation’s name is Latin for “dove”? Columba is the answer.

Columba comes from the Latin word for “dove.” It is a faint southern constellation located just south of Canis Major and Lepus. Unlike the ancient constellations listed by Ptolemy, Columba was introduced in the late 16th century and later retained among the 88 modern constellations.

Dutch astronomer and cartographer Petrus Plancius first depicted it in 1592. He called it Columba Noachi, or “Noah’s Dove,” referring to the dove in the biblical flood story that returned with evidence that the waters were receding. Plancius used the figure to distinguish a previously unformed group of stars near Canis Major.

Columba covers about 270 square degrees, and its brightest star is Alpha Columbae, traditionally called Phact. The constellation has no Messier objects and is not especially prominent to the unaided eye. It is sometimes confused with Cygnus, whose name means “swan,” or with Corvus, whose name means “crow”; both names describe different birds and different constellations.