Sails of the ship
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Constellation sails of the ship |
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| Latin name | Vela |
| Latin genitive | Velorum |
| Abbreviation | Vel |
| Right ascension | 08 h 03 m 27 s to 11 h 05 m 50 s |
| declination | −57 ° 10 ′ 28 ″ to −37 ° 09 ′ 36 ″ |
| surface | 499.649 deg² rank 32 |
| Completely visible | 32.2 ° N to 90 ° S |
| Observation time for Central Europe | not observable |
| Number of stars brighter than 3 mag | 5 |
| Brightest star (size) | Gamma Velorum (1.75) |
| Meteor streams | |
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Neighboring constellations ( clockwise from north ) |
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| swell | IAU , |
 The constellation of Vela as seen with the naked eye |
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The sail of the ship or sail of the ship (actually the sails , since the Latin name Vela stands for the plural ) is a constellation of the southern sky.
description
The sail is a vast constellation north of the ship's keel (Carina). Four of its stars are strikingly bright.
The star-rich ribbon of the Milky Way runs through the constellation, which is why there are several open star clusters , a globular star cluster and a planetary nebula in the sail .
The stars δ and κ Velorum together with ι and ε Carinae are sometimes confused with the Southern Cross . This group of stars is therefore also known as the “False Cross of the South”.
Only the northern part of this constellation is visible from southern Central Europe and Southern Europe.
history
The ship's sail is part of the ancient constellation Argo Navis , which was one of the 48 constellations described by Ptolemy .
In 1763 , the French astronomer Lacaille divided the very extensive and confusing constellation into the constellations keel of the ship, aft deck of the ship (Puppis) and sails. The original star designations were retained, so that each Greek letter appears only once in the three constellations (taken together). Hence there is a star α Carinae ( Canopus ), but no stars α Velorum or α Puppis.
mythology
In Greek mythology, the Argo was the ship of Jason and his companions, the Argonauts , who were looking for the golden fleece , a gold-colored ram's skin.
Celestial objects
Stars
| B. | Names or other designations | m | Lj | Spectral class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| γ | Gamma Velorum , Suhail al Muhlif, Regor | 1.8 | 1000 | γ1: B1 IV |
| δ | 1.93 | 80 | A1 V | |
| λ | Lambda Velorum , Suhail al Wazn, Alsuhail | 2.14 to 2.30 | 573 | K4 Ib-II |
| κ | Kappa Velorum , Markab, Markeb | 2.47 | 540 | B2 IV-V |
| μ | My Velorum | 2.69 | 116 | G5 III SB + G2 V |
| N | 3.16 | 238 | K5 III | |
| φ | Phi Velorum , Tseen Kee | 3.52 | 1930 | B5 Ib |
| ο | 3.60 | 495 | B3IV | |
| ψ | 3.60 | 61 | F2 IV | |
| c | 3.75 | 309 | K2 III | |
| b | 3.77 | 3 100 | F3 Ia | |
| p | 3.84 | 87 | A3m + 3 | |
| q | 3.85 | 103 | A2 V | |
| a | 3.87 | 1 550 | A1III | |
| d | 4.05 | 229 | G5 III | |
| e | 4.11 | 1 440 | A6 II | |
| x | 4.29 | 900 | G2 II |
Double stars
| object | m | distance |
|---|---|---|
| γ | 1.5 / 4.2 / 8.5 / 9.4 / 13 | 41.2 "/ 62.3" / 93.5 "/ 1.8" |
| δ | 2.02 / 5.00 / 11.00 / 13.5 | 2.6 ″ / 69 ″ / 6 ″ |
| κ | 2.47 | - |
| μ | 2.69 / 6.6 | 0.7 ″ |
| ψ | 4.12 / 4.65 | 0.68 ″ |
γ Velorum is one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It is a complex multiple star system around 1000 light years away that consists of at least six stars. The brightest γ² Velorum (or γ Velorum A) is a spectroscopic double star , ie the two components orbit each other at such a close distance that they cannot be separated with optical telescopes . Due to the Doppler effect , the spectrum shifts in a characteristic way. The system consists of a blue super giant of the spectral class O9 with 30 times the mass of our sun and the heaviest known Wolf-Rayet star with ten solar masses. The stars are one astronomical unit (AU) apart and orbit each other in 78.5 days.
At a distance of 41.2 arc seconds there is γ¹ Velorum (or γ Velorum B), a sub-giant of spectral class B and an apparent brightness of 4.2 m .
At a distance of 62.3 arc seconds is the 8.5 m bright γ Velorum C.
93.5 arc seconds away from system A are the components γ Velorum D and E with brightnesses of 9.4 and 13. Their distance from one another is 1, 8 arc seconds.
The name Suhail al Muhlif is of Arabic origin and means something like "glorious star". The name Regor is more recent and is supposed to recall the astronaut Roger Chaffee (read Roger backwards), who was killed in a fire in an Apollo command module.
δ Velorum is a quadruple star system 80 light years away. It consists of the pairs δ Velorum A and B as well as δ Velorum C and D. Due to the precession movement of the earth , δ Velorum will represent the southern pole star in 7,000 years .
κ Velorum is a spectroscopic binary star 540 light years away. The two components orbit each other in 116.65 days. The Arabic name Markab means "vehicle". The stars α Pegasi and k Puppis have the same name.
µ Velorum is a binary star system, consisting of a yellow giant and a sun-like yellow dwarf star .
Variable stars
| object | m | period | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| λ | 2.14 to 2.30 | Irregularly changeable |
λ Velorum is a variable star 570 light years away that changes its brightness with no apparent periodicity. It is an orange giant star with 200 times the diameter and 10,000 times the luminosity of our sun . Its surface temperature is around 4,000 Kelvin . He is also called Suhail or Alsuhail or Suhail al Wazn.
Neutron stars
NGC objects
| NGC | other | m | Type | Surname |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2547 | 4.7 | Open star cluster | ||
| 2669 | 6.1 | Open star cluster | ||
| 2670 | 7.8 | Open star cluster | ||
| 2910 | 7.2 | Open star cluster | ||
| 2925 | 8.3 | Open star cluster | ||
| 3132 | 8.2 | Planetary nebula | Southern Ring Nebula Eight Burst Nebula |
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| 3201 | 6.8 | Globular clusters | ||
| 3228 | 6.0 | Open star cluster | ||
| 3330 | 7.4 | Open star cluster | ||
| IC 2391 | 3.6 | Open star cluster | Omicron-Velorum star cluster | |
| IC 2395 | 4.6 | Open star cluster |
NGC 2547 is an open star cluster 900 light years away. About 40 stars are visible in the telescope.
NGC 3132 is a planetary nebula 5,000 light-years away , the ejected gas envelope of a star. Because of its shape, which is reminiscent of an 8, it is also known as the eight burst nebula . Inside there is a binary star system . The central star is already visible in the smaller telescope in the middle of an oval, nebulous disk.
NGC 3201 is a globular cluster 16,000 light years away. With a middle telescope the edge area can be resolved into single stars.
IC 2391 is a strikingly bright open star cluster that is already visible to the naked eye. In prism binoculars , it is a very beautiful sight. It is about 500 light-years away and stands near the star ο Velorum.
IC 2395 is an open star cluster 3,000 light years away. Due to its greater distance, it is not as conspicuous as IC 2391 , but it is an interesting object for smaller telescopes.
The sail also contains the remnant of a supernova explosion , the Vela supernova , which was seen on Earth about 10,000 years ago. Complex foggy structures become visible in long-exposure photographs.
