Constellations of Antlia, Pyxis, Vela

Constellations of Antlia, Pyxis and Vela
DMI image reference Ant. « Previous || Next » All constellations

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Image and text ©2008 Akira Fujii/David Malin Images.
In the picture above, north is at the top and the image covers 68.1 x 54.5 degrees.
Image centre is located at 09:49:57.6, -34:53:33 ((H:M:S, D:M:S), J2000) Astrometric data from Astrometry.net.

Antlia, Pyxis and Vela
Best seen in the early evening in March-April

Antlia (originally Antlia Pneumatica, the Air Pump) is an unremarkable constellation invented by the Abbé Nicolas de Lacaille in the 1750s. It is hemmed in by the meandering body of Hydra to the north and the sparkling constellations of the Milky Way to the south. It contains a fine planetary nebula, NGC 3132 and a beautiful spiral galaxy, NGC 2997 (see below).

Pyxis (Pyxis Nautica, the Mariner's Compass) is the least interesting fragment of the great vessel Argo Navis, dismantled by the International Union in the 1930s. The other parts are Puppis (the stern), Carina, (the keel) and Vela. We also offer an alternative view of Pyxis and a more detailed description.

Vela (the sails) is best known for the supernova remnant seen on large telescope pictures (below) and the Gum nebula, visible as faint red nebulosity towards the right (west) of the constellation.

Named stars: Antlia, Pyxis and Vela contain few named stars.
The main named stars in the field are: (Greek alphabet)
Alchiba (α Crv), Alphard (α Hya), Algorab (δ Crv), Alkes (α Crt), Asmidiske (ξ Pup), Markab (κ Vel), Naos (ζ Pup), Suhail (or Regor, γ Vel), Al Suhail al Wazu, (Gienah, γ Crv) Sulhail Hadar (λ Vel)

Other constellations in the image: Carina, Centaurus, Corvus, Crater, Hydra, Puppis

Related images (other sources)
AAT 17. The spiral galaxy NGC 2997
AAT 17a. The spiral galaxy NGC 2997, wide field
AAT 71. The cometary globule, CG 4
AAT 78. Part of the Vela supernova remnant
AAT 81. ESO 166-21, a faint planetary nebula
AAT 84. The Pencil nebula, NGC 2736
AAT 107. NGC 2437-38, planetary nebula in open cluster
AAT 119 The globular cluster NGC 3201 in Vela
UKS 2. The Vela supernova remnant