Vela constellation
Latin Vela, genitive Velorum, abbreviation Vel
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
The sails of the Argo, the ship Jason took to fetch the Golden Fleece; Lacaille divided the huge old constellation into Keel, Stern and Sails. Two of its stars belong to the False Cross. It stays below the horizon from Europe.
When can Vela be seen?
It stands highest around 10 pm in March. It can be seen from everywhere south of 31°N, and it never sets south of 50°S.
The brightest stars
| Star | Designation | Magnitude | Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regor | γ2 Vel | 1.78 | bluish |
| Alsephina | δ Vel | 1.96 | white |
| Suhail | λ Vel | 2.21 | reddish |
| Markeb | κ Vel | 2.50 | bluish |
| – | μ Vel | 2.69 | yellow |
| – | φ Vel | 3.54 | bluish |
| – | ψ Vel | 3.60 | yellowish white |
| – | γ1 Vel | 4.27 | bluish |
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).