Vela (constellation)

Vela
Constellation
Vela
AbbreviationVel
GenitiveVelorum
Pronunciation/ˈvlə/,
genitive /vɪˈlrəm/
Symbolismthe Sails
Right ascension9h
Declination−50°
QuadrantSQ2
Area500 sq. deg. (32nd)
Main stars5
Bayer/Flamsteed
stars
50
Stars with planets7
Stars brighter than 3.00m5
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)3
Brightest starγ Vel (1.75m)
Messier objects0
Meteor showersDelta Velids
Gamma Velids
Puppid-velids
Bordering
constellations
Antlia
Pyxis
Puppis
Carina
Centaurus
Visible at latitudes between +30° and −90°.
Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of March.

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.