Puppis

Puppis
Constellation

Abbreviation Pup
Genitive Puppis
Pronunciation /ˈpʌps/, genitive the same
Symbolism the Poop Deck
Right ascension 7.5
Declination −30
Family Heavenly Waters
Quadrant SQ2
Area 673 sq. deg. (20th)
Main stars 9
Bayer/Flamsteed
stars
76
Stars with planets 6
Stars brighter than 3.00m 1
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) 3
Brightest star ζ Pup (Naos) (2.25m)
Nearest star LHS 1989
(19.67 ly, 6.03 pc)
Messier objects 3
Meteor showers Pi Puppids
Zeta Puppids
Puppid-Velids
Bordering
constellations
Monoceros
Pyxis
Vela
Carina
Pictor
Columba
Canis Major
Hydra
Visible at latitudes between +40° and −90°.
Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of February.

Puppis /ˈpʌps/ is a constellation in the southern sky. Puppis, the Poop Deck, was originally part of an over-large constellation, the ship of "Jason and the Argonauts", Argo Navis, which centuries after its initial description, was divided into three parts, the other two being Carina (the keel and hull), and Vela (the sails of the ship). Puppis is the largest of the three constellations in square degrees. It is one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union.

Features

The constellation Puppis as it can be seen by the naked eye.

Argo Navis was sub-divided in 1752 by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, forming Puppis. Despite the division, Lacaille kept Argo's Bayer designations. Therefore Carina has the α, β and ε, Vela has γ and δ, Puppis has ζ, and so on.

Named stars

Bayer
designation
Name Origin Meaning
ζ Naos Greek ship
ξ Asmidiske Greek gunwale
A cosmic concoction in NGC 2467.

Planetary systems

Several extrasolar planet systems have been found around stars in the constellation Puppis, including:

Deep-sky objects

As the Milky Way runs through Puppis, there are a large number of open clusters in the constellation. M46 and M47 are two open clusters in the same binocular field. M47 can be seen with the naked eye under dark skies, and its brightest stars are 6th magnitude. Messier 93 (M93) is another open cluster somewhat to the south. NGC 2451 is a very bright open cluster containing the star c Puppis and the near NGC 2477 is a good target for small telescopes. The star Pi Puppis is the main component of a bright group of stars known as Collinder 135.

M46 is a circular open cluster with an overall magnitude of 6.1 at a distance of approximately 5400 light-years from Earth. The planetary nebula NGC 2438 is superimposed; it is approximately 2900 light-years from Earth. M46 is classified as a Shapley class f and a Trumpler class III 2 m cluster. This means that it is a rich cluster that appears distinct from the star field; however, it is not at its center. The cluster's stars, numbering between 50 and 100, have a moderate range in brightness.[1]

References

  1. Levy 2005, pp. 85-86.

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Puppis.

Coordinates: 07h 30m 00s, −30° 00′ 00″

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/23/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.