The story behind the name: Because this constellation is located in the south polar region, it was not charted by the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean and middle east. It was first described by Abbe Nicholas Louis de Lacaille in the 1700's. His original name for the constellation was, in Latin, Mons Mensae, translated as "table mountain". It was named for an unusual geographical feature with that name - a high promontory or mountain - near de Lacaille's observatory on the Cape of Good Hope. The name was shortened to Mensa (table) by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) when it adopted the 88 modern constellations recognized today.

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