Argo Navis

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Argo Navis (or simply Argo) was a large southern constellation representing the Argo, the ship used by Jason and the Argonauts in Greek mythology. The abbreviation was "Arg" and the genitive was "Argūs".

It is the only one of Ptolemy's list of 48 constellations that is no longer officially recognised as a constellation. French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1752 subdivided Argo Navis into Carina (the keel of the ship), Puppis (the poop), and Vela (the sails). Were it still considered a single constellation, it would be the largest of all, being larger than Hydra.

When Argo Navis was split, its Bayer designations were also split. Carina has the α, β and ε, Vela has γ and δ, Puppis has ζ, and so on.

The constellation Pyxis occupies an area which in antiquity was considered part of Argo's mast. However, Pyxis is now not usually considered part of Argo Navis, and in particular its Bayer designations are separate from those of Carina, Puppis and Vela.

See also

• Malus (constellation)
• Asterism (astronomy)

External links and references

• Starry Night Photography : Argo Navis Image
• Star Tales – Argo Navis

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Last updated on Friday February 29, 2008 at 21:31:05 PST (GMT -0800)
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