Microscopium

noun

Mi·​cro·​sco·​pi·​um ˌmī-krō-ˈskō-pē-əm 

astronomy

: a southern constellation that is visible between the constellations of Capricornus and Indus and that is represented by the figure of a microscope

Two red dwarf stars in the southern hemisphere constellation called Microscopium are emitting unpredictable eruptions like giant versions of the small-scale flares that have been seen on the sun for more than a century.

—David Perlman, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Sept. 1992

Word History

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined above

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