Columba is sometimes known as Columba Noae and as Noah’s Dove. The reader will remember that seven days after the rain stopped, Noah let loose a dove, but it came back. After being released a second time, it returned with an olive leaf so Noah knew that his wet days were almost over, unless you count the time he got drunk in his new vineyard a little later on.
Why it is called Columba is not clear unless it refers to the fact that Columbus also finally found a bird near the end of his first voyage, indicating to him that land was near. In any case, the name of Noah’s bird is not mentioned in the Bible.
|
| Symbol | Col |
| Right Ascension |
05:51
|
| Declination | -35 |
| Diameter (°) | 9 |
| Area (square °) | 270 |
| Opposition |
Dec 19
|
| Size Rank |
54th
|
| Brightness Rank |
48th
|
| Genitive | Columbae |
|