✧ Puppis

  Puppis is an asterism in Puppis.

                  •⠤⠤⠤··
                  ⢸    ⢻⡄
                  ⢸     ·
                  ⠈⡇    ⠈⢧
                   ⡇     ⠈⢧
                   ⢧      ⠈⢧
                   ⢸       ⠈⢧
                   ⢸        ⠈⢧
                   ⠈⡇        ⠈•⡀
                    ⡇          ⠙⢦⡀
                    •            ⠙⢦⡀
                                   ⠙⢦⡀
                                     ⠙·

  Type            Asterism
  Constellation   Puppis
  Stars           8

  More information about Puppis

  For centuries the southern sky held one enormous constellation, Argo
  Navis, the ship of the Greek hero Jason. In the 1750s a French
  astronomer, Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille, divided it into the keel, the
  stern and the sails, and Puppis is the stern. It is the piece people
  forget, but the Milky Way runs the whole length of it and it holds
  several clusters of young stars bright enough to see without a
  telescope. Its brightest star, Zeta Puppis, is one of the hottest and
  most luminous stars that can be seen anywhere with the naked eye.
  Lacaille kept the ship's original lettering rather than starting each
  piece again, so Puppis has no star lettered Alpha or Beta: those went to
  Carina and stayed there. Vela carries the same gap, and no other
  constellation in the sky does.

  Etymology
  From        Latin
  Reading     Puppis
  Literally   the stern

               Argo Navis
   the ship, taken apart in the 1750s
                    │
       ┌────────────┬─────────────┐
  Carina        Puppis       Vela
  the keel      the stern    the sails
  kept alpha    kept zeta    kept gamma

  The evolution of Puppis over time

  -50,000 years
  
                                       ⢀⣀⣀⣀ Azmidiske
                         Tureis •⠚⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠁  ·⡄
                                ⠘⡄         ·
                                 ⡇         ⠘⣇
                                 ⢸          ⠸·
                                 ⠘⡆          ·⢦
                                  ⢇           ⠈⠣⡀
                                  ⢸             ⠱⡄
                                  ⠈⡆             ⠘⢄
                                   ⢣              ⠈⢧
                                   ⢸⡀               ⠱⡀
                                    ⡇                ⠙⣄
                                    ⢱                 ⠈•⣀
                                    ⠸⡄                  ⠈⠣⡄
                                     ⡇                    ⠈⠓⣄
                                     • Naos                  ⠓⢄
                                                               ⠑⢄⡀
                                                                 ⠑⢄
                                                                   ⠙·
  
  
  now
  
                                 ⢠⠤⣄⣀⣀⣀⣀⡀  Azmidiske
                          Tureis •      ⠈·⡀
                                  ⡇       ·
                                  ⡇       ⠘⣇
                                  ⢸        ⢹·
                                  ⢸         ·⢣⡀
                                  ⠈⡆          ⠱⡀
                                   ⡇           ⠘⣄
                                   ⢳            ⠘⢆
                                   ⢸              ⢣⡀
                                   ⠘⡄              ⠳⡀
                                    ⡇               ⠘⣄
                                    ⢇                ⠘•⡀
                                    ⢸                  ⠈⠢⡀
                                    ⢸                    ⠈⠢⡀
                                     • Naos                ⠈⠲⣀
                                                             ⠈⠲⡀
                                                               ⠈⠢⡀
                                                                 ⠈⠣·
  
  
  +50,000 years
  
                           Tureis •⠢⠤⣀⡀   Azmidiske
                                  ⢸   ⠈⠉·⡀
                                  ⠸⡀     ·⡀
                                   ⡇     ⠘⡷⡀
                                   ⡇      ⢱·⡄
                                   ⡇       ·⠙⡄
                                   ⢹         ⠈⢆
                                   ⢸          ⠈⢧
                                   ⢸           ⠈⢣
                                   ⠸⡄            ⠱⡀
                                    ⡇             ⠘⣄
                                    ⡇              ⠘⢆
                                    ⡇               ⠈•⡀
                                    ⢸                 ⠘⢢⡀
                                    ⢸                   ⠘⢢⡀
                                    ⠈• Naos               ⠑⢆⡀
                                                            ⠑⢦
                                                              ⠙⢤
                                                                ⠙⢤
                                                                  ·

  Over 50,000 years either way the longest side of this figure changes by 3%, and the furthest
  any of its stars travels is 1.5 degrees. HR 2451, HR 2996 and Azmidiske drift the opposite way
  to the other 5, which travel together. HR 2996 has no measured distance, so its path is
  extrapolated flat. Proper motion only: this is the shape changing, not the sky turning or the
  pole moving.

  curl 'skymap.sh/Puppis/evolution.gif'

  where it is tonight:  skymap.sh/Puppis