No longer considered a single constellation, the Argo Navis grouping has been subdivided into four separate constellations which make up the ship: Carina, the keel; Puppis, the stern; Pyxis, the compass; and Vela, the sails.
Located entirely in the southern hemisphere, Argo Navis is the largest constellation and contains over 800 naked eye stars. Its original star designations by de Lacaille used 180 Greek letters; many repetitions lent to confusion and error. More recent astronomers have separated the original constellation of Argo Navis into four parts of the boat. Sometimes Malus, the mast, is used to further define Argo Navis, which covers almost 75 degrees of the sky. It is south of Monoceros, Hydra and Sirius (the brightest star in the sky). A few of the most northern stars of Puppis and Pyxis can be seen on the horizon in New York City in early March. Canopus, the second brightest star, is in Carina.
|
| Symbol | Vel |
| Right Ascension |
09:10
|
| Declination | -49 |
| Diameter (°) | 18 |
| Area (square °) | 500 |
| Opposition |
Feb 04
|
| Size Rank |
32nd
|
| Brightness Rank |
14th
|
| Genitive | Velorum |
|