Puppis

Puppis ("stern") is a constellation in the southern sky. It was originally part of the traditional constellation of Argo Navis (the ship of Jason and the Argonauts), which was divided into three parts, the other two being Carina (the keel and hull), and Vela (the sails). 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.

Puppis

Constellation
List of stars in Puppis
Abbreviation	Pup
Genitive	Puppis
Pronunciation	/ˈpʌpɪs/, genitive the same
Symbolism	the Poop Deck
Right ascension	7.5h
Declination	−30°
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)
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.

History

See also: Argo Navis § History

The constellation of Argo Navis is recorded in Greek texts, derived from ancient Egypt around 1000 BC. According to Plutarch, its equivalent in Egyptian astronomy was the "Boat of Osiris".^[1]

As Argo Navis was roughly 28% larger than the next largest constellation, Hydra,^[2] it was sub-divided into three sections in 1752 by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, including Puppis, which he referred to as "Argûs in puppi". Despite the division, Lacaille kept a single set of Bayer designations for the whole constellation, Argo. Therefore, Carina has the α, β, and ε, Vela has γ and δ, Puppis has ζ, and so on.^[3] In 1844, John Herschel proposed complete dividing Argo Navis in accordance with Lacaille's divisions.^[4] However, the constellation continued to be used into the 20th century, and officially received a three-letter designation alongside its divisions in 1922.^[5] Puppis, along with Carina and Vela, was included in the list of modern IAU constellations in 1930.^[6]

Features

The constellation Puppis as it can be seen by the naked eye

Named stars

See also: List of stars in Puppis

Designation	Name	Origin	Meaning
ζ Puppis	Naos	Greek	ship
π Puppis	Ahadi	Arabic	having much promise
ρ Puppis	Tureis	Arabic	shield
ξ Puppis	Asmidiske	Greek	gunwale
HD 48265	Nosaxa	Mocoví	springtime

Planetary systems

Several extrasolar planet systems have been found around stars in the constellation Puppis, including:

• On July 1, 2003, a planet was found orbiting the star HD 70642. This planetary system is much like Jupiter with a wide, circular orbit and a long-period.
• On May 17, 2006, HD 69830 (the nearest star of this constellation) was discovered to have three Neptune-mass planets, the first multi-planetary system without any Jupiter-like or Saturn-like planets. The star also hosts an asteroid belt at the region between middle planet to outer planet.
• On June 21, 2007, the first extrasolar planet found in the open cluster NGC 2423, was discovered around the red giant star NGC 2423-3. The planet is at least 10.6 times the mass of Jupiter and orbits at 2.1 AU distance.
• On September 22, 2008, two Jupiter-like planets were discovered around HD 60532. HD 60532 b has a minimum mass of 1.03 M_J and orbits at 0.759 AU and takes 201.3 days to complete the orbit. HD 60532 c has a minimum mass of 2.46 M_J and orbits at 1.58 AU and takes 604 days to complete the orbit.
• In 2023, Astronomers detected two ice giant type exoplanets (both with a mass of tens of earths) having a collision event around the 300 million year old star designated as 2MASS J08152329-3859234.

Deep-sky objects

The NGC 2467 star-forming region

As the Milky Way runs through Puppis, there are many 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.

M46 is a circular open cluster with an overall magnitude of 6.1 at a distance of approximately 5400 light-years from Earth. The planetary nebula NGC 2438 is superimposed; it is approximately 2900 light-years from Earth. M46 is classified as a Shapley class f and a Trumpler class III 2 m cluster. This means that it is a rich cluster that appears distinct from the star field, despite not being at its center. The cluster's stars, numbering between 50 and 100, have a moderate range in brightness.^[7]

See also

• Puppis in Chinese astronomy

References

1. Barentine, John (2015). A History of Obsolete, Extinct, or Forgotten Star Lore. Springer. pp. 72–73. ISBN 978-3-319-22795-5 – via Google Books.
2. Ridpath, Ian. "Argo Navis". Star Tales.
3. Wagman, M. (2003). Lost Stars: Lost, Missing, and Troublesome Stars from the Catalogues of Johannes Bayer, Nicholas Louis de Lacaille, John Flamsteed, and Sundry Others. McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-939923-78-6.
4. Herschel, J. F. W. (8 Mar 1844). "Further Remarks on the Revision of the Southern Constellations". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 6 (5): 61–62. Bibcode:1844MNRAS...6...60R. doi:10.1093/mnras/6.5.60.
5. Russell, Henry Norris (1922). "The New International Symbols for the Constellations" (PDF). Popular Astronomy. 30. John August Media, LLC: 471. Bibcode:1922PA.....30..469R. Archived from the original on 27 Mar 2023 – via ADS.
6. Delporte, E. (1930). Delimitation Scientifique des constellations (tables et cartes). Cambridge University Press. Bibcode:1930dsct.book.....D.
7. Levy 2005, pp. 85–86.

Sources

• Levy, David H. (2005), Deep Sky Objects, Prometheus Books, ISBN 1-59102-361-0
• Ian Ridpath and Wil Tirion (2017). Stars and Planets Guide, Collins, London. ISBN 978-0-00-823927-5. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 978-0-691-17788-5.
• Richard Hinckley Allen, Star Names, Their Lore and Legend, New York, Dover.

External links

• The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Puppis
• Star Tales – Puppis