Puppis constellation
Latin Puppis, genitive Puppis, abbreviation Pup
North up, east to the left, as you see the sky. The lines are a common figure; the stars are from the catalogue.
The myth
Part of the Argo, the ship of Jason and the Argonauts who fetched the Golden Fleece. The old constellation was so large that Lacaille divided it into Keel, Stern and Sails in the 18th century. From Europe only the Stern rises just above the southern horizon in winter.
When can Puppis be seen?
It stands highest around 10 pm in February. It can be seen from everywhere south of 49°N, and it never sets south of 67°S.
The brightest stars
| Star | Designation | Magnitude | Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naos | ζ Pup | 2.25 | bluish |
| – | π Pup | 2.70 | reddish |
| Tureis | ρ Pup | 2.81 | yellowish white |
| – | τ Pup | 2.93 | orange |
| – | ν Pup | 3.17 | bluish |
| – | σ Pup | 3.25 | reddish |
| Azmidi | ξ Pup | 3.34 | orange |
| – | 3 Pup | 3.96 | white |
The smaller the number, the brighter: below 1 are the brightest stars of the sky, 4 is hard to see under a city sky. Greek letters after Johann Bayer (1603).