Planet Earth
International Astronomical Union WGSN

IAU: Puppis

Profile / Characteristics

English translationLatin declination and pronunciationsSize/ °²# stars
(visible)
the SternPuppis – PUP-iss
Puppis – PUP-iss
673244

Main Star (brightest one):

DesignationHIP numbername in IAU-CSNbrightness
zet PupHIP 39429Naos2.25 mag (V)

Our (modern) Explanation

The “Poop Deck” of a Ship formed part of the ancient Greek constellation of Argo, the constellation honouring the courage and the efforts of sailors and explorers in ancient times.

Ancient Globes

depiction of this constellation on the Farnese Globe (2nd century CE)
depiction of this constellation on the Kugel Globe (1st century BCE)
depiction of this constellation on the Mainz Globe (2nd century CE)

Farnese Globe

Kugel Globe

Mainz Globe

the constellation was named Argo Navis

the constellation was named Argo Navis

the constellation was named Argo Navis

Ancient Lore & Meaning

Aratus

Reference:
English translation by Douglas Kidd (1997).
Aratus: Phaenomena, Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries, Series Number 34

Online available: translation by Mair (1921) 

Pseudo-Eratosthenes

References:
French translation by:
Jordi Pàmias i Massana and Arnaud Zucker (2013). Ératosthènes de Cyrène – Catastérismes, Les Belles Lettres, Paris

English version in:
Robin Hard (2015): Eratosthenes and Hyginus Constellation Myths with Aratus’s Phaenomena, Oxford World’s Classics

Early Modern Interpretation

Contemporary

As one of their first tasks in the 1920s, the newly founded International Astronomical Union (IAU) established constellation standards. The Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte was assigned to the task to define borders of constellations parallel to lines of declination and right ascension. They were accepted by the General Assembly in 1928. The standardized names and abbreviations had already been accepted in 1922 and 1925.  

current IAU-star chart
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