The Sails (of the Argo)
| Abbreviation: | Vel |
| Genitive: | Velorum |
| Origin: | Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, 1756 |
| Fully Visible: | 90°S – 32°N |
The Argo was the ship of Jason and the Argonauts who sought the Golden Fleece in Greek myth. The huge constellation Argo Navis was devised by the Greeks to honour this vessel. In the mid-eighteenth century, French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille (1713–1762) divided this unwieldy constellation into three smaller pieces: Carina, the keel of the ship; Puppis, the stern or poop deck; and Vela, the sails. However, he retained the Bayer designations of the original constellation so only Carina has an α star, only Vela has a γ star, etc.
Notable Features
| Visible Named Stars | ||
|---|---|---|
| δ Vel | Alsephina | This star will be only 0.04° away from the south celestial pole in 9245 CE. |
| κ Vel | Markeb | This star is actually a second-magnitude spectroscopic binary. |
| λ Vel | Suhail | In Chinese astronomy, this star is known as Tianji, from Tiān Jì meaning 'the judge for estimating the age of animals'. |
| Other Interesting Stars | ||
| Vela X-1 | This object is the prototypical high-mass X-ray binary system, consisting of a supergiant star and a neutron star. The X-ray emission of the neutron star is caused by the accretion of matter from the stellar wind of its companion star. Vela X-1 is also an eclipsing binary system with an orbital period of around 9 days. It is not related to the nearby Vela Pulsar. This X-ray source is located just north of the star w Vel. | |
| HD 83443 | Kalausi | This eighth-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet. It is found in the sky a little south of the star ψ Vel. |
| HD 85390 | Natasha | This ninth-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet. It is also found within the lines connecting the brighter stars of the constellation, located not far from the star M Vel. |
| Deep Sky Objects | ||
| C74 | Eight Burst Nebula | This is a bright planetary nebula and a good object to observe telescopically. It is also called the Southern Ring Nebula and is number 3132 in the New General Catalogue. |
| C79 | C79 or NGC 3201 is globular cluster with a very low central concentration of stars. Binoculars or a small telescope are required to observe it. | |
| C85 | ο Velorum Cluster | This open cluster, also known as IC 2391, is visible to the naked eye. The star ο Vel is its brightest member and lends its name to the cluster. |
| NGC 2547 | This is another small open cluster which is easily visible through binoculars or a telescope. | |
| Meteor Shower Radiants | ||
| 301 PUP | Puppid‑Velids | Of average speed and brightness, this December shower emanates from a radiant between the constellations of Puppis and Vela. |
Copyright © 1995–2023 by L.M. Stockman and David Harper