The constellation of Puppis, the Poop Deck // E. Slawik/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani
Click below for some info about this constellation as well as an annotated image!
Puppis, which is Latin for "poop deck" or "stern," is the largest part of the ship, Argo Navis. The entire constellation was known to the ancient Greeks, but it was a very large and overwhelming constellation. In 1752, the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille split the ship into its constituent parts.
There are several named stars in Puppis. In order of brightness:
Naos (ζ Puppis), a solitary blue supergiant star about 1,080 light years away. It is one of the hottest and most luminous stars in the night sky visible to the unaided eye. Its name comes from the Greek word ναύς meaning "ship."
Tureis (ρ Puppis) is a solitary yellow-white supergiant star about 63 light years away. It is also a variable star, changing brightness about 7 times a day. Its name comes from the Arabic word turays meaning "shield."
Pipit (ν Puppis) is a solitary blue giant star about 370 light years away. Its name comes from the Kendayan people of Indonesia, sharing its name with a local bird.
Azmidi (ξ Puppis) is a binary star system consisting of at least one yellow supergiant star. The entire star system lies about 1,200 light years away. Its name comes from the Greek word Aspidiske meaning "little shield."
Nosaxa (HD 48265) is a Sun-like star about 296 light years away. It has two confirmed exoplanets orbiting it, the smaller of which (about 1.5 times the mass of Jupiter) is named Naqaȳa. Both names were given by the people of Argentina: Nosaxa means "springtime" and Naqaȳa means "brother" in the local Mocoví language.
Moth (HD 61005) is a Sun-like star about 119 light years away. It doesn't have a confirmed exoplanet, but it does have a debris disk. The shape of this debris disk resembles the wings of a moth, which inspired its name.
Dilmun (WASP-121) is a Sun-like star about 858 light years away. It has one confirmed exoplanet orbiting it, about the mass of Jupiter, named Tylos. Both names were given by the people of Bahrain: Dilmun is the name of an ancient civilization that inhabited the area, while Tylos is the ancient Greek name for Bahrain.
Tislit (WASP-161) is a Sun-like star about 1,162 light years away. It has one confirmed exoplanet orbiting it, about 2.5 times the mass of Jupiter, named Isli. Both names came from the people of Morocco: Tislit and Isli are lakes in the Atlas Mountains, meaning "bride" and "groom" in the Amazigh language.
