Location: Mostly Southern Hemisphere, low on the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere
Coordinates:
Right Ascension: 09h
Declination: -50ยบ
Source: Modern constellation by astronomer Abbe Nicholas de Lacaille
The story behind the name: Vela, the Sails, was originally part of Argo Navis, the ship of Jason and his Argonauts. When the International Astronomical Union officially defined the 88 constellations and their boundaries, the constellation (the ship) was divided into three smaller constellations: Vela, Puppis (the deck), and Carina (the keel). To read more about Argo Navis and Jason and his Argonauts, see Carina.
Introduction to Constellations | Constellation Sources | Constellations Index
Objects observed by Chandra in Vela: