Vela

Also known as Vel, Velorum, The Sails

constellation in the southern celestial hemisphere

AI overview

Vela is a constellation located in the southern sky that is visible to observers in the Southern Hemisphere. It represents the sails of a ship and is one of several constellations that together form the larger celestial figure of Argo Navis, an ancient representation of the legendary ship used by Jason and the Argonauts in Greek mythology.

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Wikidata facts

Official name: Vela
Area: 500
Image: Constellation Vela.jpg

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Commons category: Vela (constellation)
Commons gallery: Vela
short name: Vel
time of discovery or invention: 1763-00-00

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Article

Vela is a constellation in the southern sky, which contains the Vela Supercluster. Its name is Latin for the sails of a ship, and it was originally part of a larger constellation, the ship Argo Navis, which was later divided into three parts, the others being Carina and Puppis. With an apparent magnitude of 1.8, its brightest star is the hot blue multiple star Gamma Velorum, one component of which is the closest and brightest Wolf-Rayet star in the sky. Delta and Kappa Velorum, together with Epsilon and Iota Carinae, form the asterism known as the False Cross. 1.95-magnitude Delta is actually a triple or quintuple star system.

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