The constellation of Carina, the Keel // E. Slawik/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani
Click below to read more about this ship part as well as an annotated image!
Carina, which is Latin for "keel," the bottom-most part of the ship that provides most of the ship's structure.
Carina, as well as its neighbors Vela (the Sails) and Puppis (the Poop Deck), were once part of the larger constellation Argo Navis, the ship that Jason and the Argonauts used on their search for the Golden Fleece in Greek mythology.
Argo Navis was known to the Greeks, but it was a very large constellation: it's 28% larger than Hydra, the next-largest constellation. It was the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille who broke up the ship into its three parts in 1763.
There are several named stars here in Carina. From brightest to dimmest:
Canopus (α Carinae) is the brightest star in the southern skies and the second-brightest star in the entire night sky. It is a solitary blue-white supergiant star about 310 light years away. Its name comes from the Greek word Κάνωβος which has two potential meanings: either it is named after Canopus, the pilot of Menelaus's ship during the Trojan War, or a ruined Egyptian port near the mouth of the Nile.
Miaplacidus (β Carinae) is a solitary blue-white giant star about 113 light years away. Its name appeared for the first time in 1856, although no one knew what its name meant for several years. Now we think it is a combination of the Arabic word miyāh meaning "waters" and the Latin word placidus meaning "placid."
Avior (ε Carinae) is a binary star system about 610 light years away. It consists of a striking colorful pair of an orange giant and a blue giant star. Its name was given to it by the UK's Royal Air Force in the 1930s since it was a navigational star without a proper name. Unfortunately, the origin of this name has been lost.
Aspidiske (ι Carinae) is a solitary blue-white supergiant star about 770 light years away. Its name comes from the Greek word ασπίδα meaning "small shield."
Aiolos (HD 95086) is a very young star about 282 light years away. It has one confirmed exoplanet orbiting it, about 4.5 times the mass of Jupiter, named Levantes. Both names were given by the people of Greece: Aiolos was the ruler of the winds in the Odyssey, while Levantes is a modern Greek word for the easterly Mediterranean winds.
Tapecue (HD 63765) is a Sun-like star about 106 light years away. It has one confirmed exoplanet orbiting it, about half the mass of Jupiter, named Yvaga. Both names were given by the people of Bolivia: Tapecue is the Guarani word for the Milky Way, while Yvaga means "sky" or "heaven" in Guarani.
