| Constellation tour in Winter |
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| Date & Time: | Dec 29 2002, 25:04 JST(+0900), 20min. Exp. |
| Optical: | SMC TAKUMAR f=105mm F2.4, Aperture: F4.0, with cokin Diffuser-1 filter |
| Auto-guided with TAKAHASHI JP Equatorial | |
| Camera: | PENTAX 67 |
| Film: | Ektachrome E200 (+1EV pushed) |
| Location: | Ooizumi vil., Yamanashi pref. |
 ASCII/Astroarts StellaNavigator |
Formerly, the lower southern sky in winter was occupied by a gigantic constellation "Argo Navis", the Argonauts' ship.
The constellation had a span of over 70 degrees in east-west direction, and was the largest asterism in the heavens exceeding Hydra, which is presently the largest one.
In the mid-18th century, Lacaille divided the older constellation into four smaller constellations: Carina, Pyxis, Vela, and Puppis. The constellation of Puppis represents the Stern of the Argo Navis. You can find it just southeast of Canis Major as a large and a bit warped square formed by 2nd or 3rd magnitudes. Puppis crosses the meridian at fairly lower sky in Japan, it might need clear sky to recognize the entire constellation. |
Guide for Deep Sky Objects| M46, M47 | .....Paralleled open clusters at NE region in Puppis |
| M93 | .....Medium-sized open cluster 2 degrees NE of zeta Pup, 3600 ly. away |
| NGC2467 | .....Open cluster & Nebulosity bathed in the Milky Way |
| NGC2451, NGC2477 | .....Pair of open clusters at south region in Puppis |
| Sh2-302 | .....Round & compact reddish nebula in western edge |
| Gum Nebula | .....Vast supernova remnant in Milky Way of Puppis & Vela. |
 Canis Major |
 Monoceros |
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Copyright(c) 2003 by Naoyuki Kurita, All rights reserved. |
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