Octans is a faint constellation the southern sky. Its name is Latin for the eighth part of a circle, but it is named after the octant, a navigational instrument. The constellation was devised by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in the eighteenth century.
Octans is notable as the location of the south celestial pole. Unlike the north pole, it has no bright pole star; Sigma Octantis (σ Oct) is the closest naked-eye star to the pole, but it is so faint that it is practically useless for navigation purposes.