Vela (constellation)

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Vela (constellation)

Vela is a constellation

Constellation

A constellation is a group of stars that appear to have a physical proximity in the sky. The stars in a constellation are often vastly distant from each other, but they appear close to each other from the perspective of Earth....
in the southern sky. Its name is Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
for the sail

Sail

A sail is any type of surface intended to generate thrust by being placed in a wind—in essence a vertically-oriented wing. Sails are used in sailing....
s of a ship, and it was originally part of a larger constellation, the ship Argo Navis
Argo Navis

Argo Navis was a large constellation in the southern sky that has since been divided into three separate constellations. It represented the Argo, the ship used by Jason and the Argonauts in Greek mythology....
, which was later divided into three parts, the others being Carina

Carina (constellation)

Carina , is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for the keel of a ship, and it was formerly part of the larger constellation of Argo Navis until that constellation was divided in three....
and Puppis

Puppis

Puppis is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for the poop deck 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 Vela ; Puppis is the largest of the three....
.

brightest star in the constellation, ? Velorum

Gamma Velorum

Gamma Velorum is a star system in the constellation Vela . At apparent magnitude +1.7, it is list of brightest stars in the nighttime sky. It has the traditional names Suhail or Al Suhail al-Muhlif ....
, is a bright

Apparent magnitude

The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measurement of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, normalized to the value it would have in the absence of the Earth's atmosphere....
1.75^m supergiant

Supergiant

Supergiants are among the most massive stars. In the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram they occupy the top region of the diagram. In the spectral classification supergiants are class Ia or Ib ....
star. The star is actually quintuple

Star system

A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars which orbit each other, bound by gravitation. A large number of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a star cluster or galaxy, although, broadly speaking, they are also star systems....
, the primary component is famous for being the brightest Wolf-Rayet star

Wolf-Rayet star

Wolf-Rayet stars are evolved, massive stars , which are losing mass rapidly by means of a very strong solar wind, with speeds up to 2000 km/s....
in the sky.

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Encyclopedia

Vela is a constellation

Constellation

Latin

Sail

Carina (constellation)

Puppis

Notable features

Stars

The brightest star in the constellation, ? Velorum

Gamma Velorum

Apparent magnitude

Supergiant

Star system

Wolf-Rayet star

Wolf-Rayet stars are evolved, massive stars , which are losing mass rapidly by means of a very strong solar wind, with speeds up to 2000 km/s....
in the sky. This star is also sometimes called Regor, which is Roger backwards.

? Velorum

Kappa Velorum

Kappa Velorum is a binary star in the constellation Vela . It also has the traditional name Markab, a name it shares with the star Alpha Pegasi....
is also called Markeb

Markeb

Markeb is a variant form of Markab the proper name for some stars. See Markab.* k Puppis, in the constellation Puppis, was former Kappa Argus lettered by Johann Bayer....
.

False Cross

The False Cross is an asterism

Asterism (astronomy)

In astronomy, an asterism is a pattern of stars seen in Earth's sky which is not an official constellation. Like constellations, they are composed of stars which, while they are in the same general direction, are not physically related, often being at significantly different distances from Earth....
formed of the star

Star

A star is a massive, luminous ball of Plasma that is held together by its own gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth....
s d Velorum

Delta Velorum

Delta Velorum is a star system in the constellation Vela . It is approximately 79.7 light years from Earth. It is sometimes given the name Koo She, Chinese for 'Bow and Arrows', along with Omega Velorum and stars in Canis Major....
and ? Velorum

Kappa Velorum

Kappa Velorum is a binary star in the constellation Vela . It also has the traditional name Markab, a name it shares with the star Alpha Pegasi....
and ? Carinae

Iota Carinae

Iota Carinae is a star in the constellation Carina . It is list of brightest stars in the nighttime sky. It also has traditional names Aspidiske, Scutulum or Turais ....
and e Carinae

Epsilon Carinae

Epsilon Carinae is a star in the constellation Carina . At apparent magnitude +1.86 it is list of brightest stars in the nighttime sky, but is not visible from the northern hemisphere....
. It is so called because it is sometimes mistaken for the Southern Cross

Crux

Crux is the List of constellations by area of the 88 modern constellations, but is one of the most distinctive. Its name is Latin for cross, and it is dominated by a cross-shaped Asterism and is commonly known as the Southern Cross because it is today visible only from the southern hemisphere, although it was visible near the horizon...
, causing errors in astronavigation.

Deep sky objects

Of the deep sky objects of interest in Vela is a planetary nebula

Planetary nebula

A planetary nebula is an emission nebula consisting of a glowing shell of gas and Plasma formed by certain types of stars when they die. The name originated in the 18th century because of their similarity in appearance to gas giants when viewed through small optical telescopes, and is unrelated to the planets of the solar system....
known as the NGC 3132

NGC 3132

NGC 3132 is a bright and extensively studied planetary nebula in the constellation Vela . From the available spectroscopic data, presently the observed gas shell is expanding at about 24 kms-1....
(nicknamed Eight-burst nebula). Also of interest within the constellation is the Vela Supernova Remnant

Vela Supernova Remnant

The Vela supernova remnant is a supernova remnant in the southern constellation Vela . Its source supernova exploded approximately 11,000-12,300 years ago ....
. This is the nebula

Nebula

A nebula is an interstellar cloud of cosmic dust, hydrogen gas and Plasma . Originally nebula was a general name for any extended astronomy astronomical object, including galaxy beyond the Milky Way ....
of a supernova

Supernova

A supernova is a Astronomy#Stellar astronomy explosion. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months....
explosion which is believed to have been visible from the Earth around 10,000 years ago. The remnant contains a pulsar

Pulsar

Pulsars are highly magnetized, rotating neutron stars that emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation. The observed periods of their pulses range from 1.4 milliseconds to 8.5 seconds....
which was the first pulsar to be identified optically.

The Gum Nebula

Gum Nebula

Gum Nebula is an emission nebula that can be found in the southern constellations Vela and Puppis. Hard to distinguish, it is believed to be the greatly expanded remains of a supernova that took place about a million years ago....
is a faint emission nebula, believed to be the remains of a million year old supernova.