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Sky Chart and Artist Rendering of Puppis
Origin:
Puppis the raised stern or "poop deck" of the famous ship Argo
Navis that carried Jason and the
Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece and is one of the four
constellations that once formed the Argonauts' ship. That is, until Nicolas Louis de Lacaille dissected
the largest of the constellations into three smaller constellations: Carina the Keel, Vela the Sails,
and Puppis in 1763. Lacaille also added Pyxis
the Compass where the mast of Argo Navis once was located.
Puppis is the largest remnant of the former Argo Navis.
Information:
Pyxis is a southern constellation which has its most northerly aspect
just east of Sirius in Canes Major. The
southern-most part of Puppis is just above Carina
so will be at or below the southern horizon for northern observers north
of about 35°N lat. The constellation will be as high it can be at 9
pm on February 15. Even though there is no discernable shape in the
star pattern, the stars are bright enough that, once found, the
constellation is unmistakable. There are at least 25 open clusters
of stars in the constellation, one globular cluster, a couple planetary
nebula, and one emission nebula. The Milky Way runs right through
the middle of the constellation making it a rich constellation for
binocular viewing. |
