Puppis
| Constellation | |
|
|
| Abbreviation | Pup |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Puppis |
| Pronunciation | /ˈpʌpᵻs/, 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. |
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Puppis /ˈpʌpᵻs/ 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.
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.
Several extrasolar planet systems have been found around stars in the constellation Puppis, including:
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.
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Wikipedia