Lacerta is one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. Its name is Latin for lizard. A small, faint constellation, it was defined in 1687 by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius. Its brightest stars form a "W" shape similar to that of Cassiopeia, and it is thus sometimes referred to as 'Little Cassiopeia'. It is located between Cygnus, Cassiopeia and Andromeda on the northern celestial sphere. The northern part lies on the Milky Way.
The constellation Lacerta as it can be seen by the naked eye.
Johannes Hevelius was a councillor and mayor of Danzig (Gdańsk), in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. As an astronomer, he gained a reputation as "the founder of lunar topography", and described ten new constellations, seven of which are still used by astronomers.
Engraving of Hevelius's 46 m (150 ft) focal-length telescope
Peter Crüger's azimuthal quadrant, completed by Hevelius
Johannes Hevelius's tombstone in St Catherine's Church in Gdańsk
Monument to Jan Heweliusz in modern Gdańsk