Antlia is a constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere. Antlia means "pump" in Latin and Greek, although the author does not see how the constellation bear any resemblation to a pump. It is rather small and faint, ranking 62nd of the 88 constellations by area. The constellation has two bright stars, Alpha and Epsilon Antliae.
The author believes that the best way to locate Antlia is to locate Argo Navis first, with Vela being the constellation closest to Antlia.
This is a rough drawing of Antlia, with its neighbouring constellations.
Alpha Antliae is the brightest star in Antlia, and is suspected to be a variable star. A variable star is a star which brightness varies with time, and this may be due to extrinsic factors, such as a companion orbiting around the star hence eclipsing it, or internal factors where the star swells and shrinks. The star is estimated to be 500 times brighter than the Sun, and is becoming a Mira variable star as it converts all its fuel into carbon. A Mira variable star is red in colour and pulsates. They are red giants in the late stages of stellar evolution, destined to become white dwarfs in a few million years after expelling their outer envelope as planetary nebulae.
Up next is Apus.