Vela

From All Skies Encyclopaedia
star chart
Vel star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).

One of the 88 IAU constellations. Vela is part of the constellation Argo, The Ship, official abbreviation [Arg] defined in 1922. Yet, the ancient constellation Argo did not have sails; the stars of Vela which are mentioned in Ptolemy's star catalogue, form part of the ship's body.

Etymology and History

The Greek constellation ...


Origin of Constellation

Stars of Vela mentioned in the Almagest

animated GIF for Argo
animated GIF of the transformation of the constellation Argo over the course of the centuries from ancient Greek to modern depictions (map: Stellarium)

Some (not all!) of the stars of Vela also formed part of the ancient Greek constellation Argo, The Ship.

No. Greek

(Heiberg 1898)

English translation

(Toomer 1984)

ident.
Ἀργοῦς ἀστερισμός. Argo (Almagest)
23 ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν The middle one d Vel

HR 3477

24 ὁ γότιος τῶν τριῶν. The southernmost of the three e Vel

HR 3426

25 τῶν ὑπὸ τούτους β συνεχῶν ὁ βορειότερος. The northernmost of the 2 stars close together under these *a Vel

HR 3487

26 ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν. The southernmost of them *b Vel

HR 3445

31 ὁ ὑποκάτω τῆς ν’ καὶ ἐπομένης ἀσπιδίσκης The star below the 3rd and rearmost little shield lam Vel
32 ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀποτομῆς τοῦ καταστρώματος. The star on the cut-off of the deck psi Vel
35 ὁ τούτῳ ἐπόμενος ὑπὸ τὸ κατάστρωμα λαμπρός The bright star to the rear of this, under the deck gam Vel
37 τῶν ἐπομένων τούτῳ ἢ ὁ προηγούμενος The most advanced of the 3 stars to the rear of this omi Vel
38 ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν. The middle one del Vel
39 ὁ ἐπόμενος τῶν τριῶν. The rearmost of the three HR 3498
40 τῶν τούτοις ἐπομένων β ὁ πρὸς τῇ ἀποτομῇ ὁ προηγούμενος. The more advanced of the 2 stars to the rear of these, near the cut-off kap Vel
41 ὁ ἐπόμευος αὐτῶν . The rearmost of them N Vel

HR 3803

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

Mythology

Weblinks

References