PUPPIS (WEST) AND NORTHERN PICTOR

Sirius, in Canis Major, shines brightly at the top edge of the picture. Far below it, just above one of the observatory domes atop Kitt Peak in Arizona, lies the second brightest star, Canopus. The stars of Puppis, the Stern (of Argo, the Ship) lie to the left in the picture, while the top of Pictor (the Easel), represented by Beta Pictoris, is somewhat above and to the right of Canopus. Southern Pictor is seen along with southern Dorado and Reticulum. The two left-hand stars of the triangle below Sirius point down and to the left to Naos, Zeta Puppis, while Pi Puppis is immediately below the triangle, Asmidiske (Xi Pup) the second star to the left. Down and a bit to the right of Pi Pup are two stars, the upper of which is L2 Pup, the lower L1. Sigma Pup is just to the left of L2. Tureis is the brighter of the two stars close to the upper left-hand edge of the picture. Nu Puppis is up and a bit to the left of Canopus. V Puppis is the brightest of the trio just above the domes on the left. Canopus is near the northern boundary of Carina (the Keel). Tau Pup is just a bit up and to the left of Canopus. q Pup is the brighter of the horizontal pair up and left of Naos.

The third part of Argo, Vela, the Sails, lies to the east (to the left). The bright star Regor (Gamma Velorum) is just above the dome at far left. The modern constellation Columba, the Dove, is represented by a small triangle of stars just up and to the right of center. some stars of central Eridanus are near the right-hand edge of the picture. The bright "star" up and to the right of Naos is NGC 2451, a prominent open cluster.

To see a labelled image, push the star:

See Puppis East in context with the rest of Argo.

See Argo from Bayer's Uranometria of 1603.

By Jim Kaler. Return to STARS.