✧ Vela Vela is an asterism in Vela. ⣀⣀⡤·⣄⡀ ⢀⣀⡤⠤⠖⠚⠉⠁ ⠙⠲⣄⡀ ·⠒⠋⠉ ⠙•⣄⡀ ⡼⠁ ⠙⠲⣄⡀ ⣰⠃ ⠙⠲⣄⡀ ⢰⠃ ⠙⠲⣄⡀ ⢠⠏ ⠙⠲⣄⡀ ⢀⡏ ⣹• ⡞ ⣠⠞⠁ •⣅⡀ ⢀⡤⠞⠁ ⠉⠙⠲⢤⣀ ⢀⡴⠋ ⠈⠙⠒⠦⣄⡀ ⣠⠴⠋ ⠉⠓·⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤•⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤•⠁ Type Asterism Constellation Vela Stars 8 More information about Vela 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 Vela is the sails. The split left a visible mark. Astronomers label the stars of a constellation with Greek letters running roughly brightest first, so Alpha is normally the brightest star in the figure, but Vela has no Alpha and no Beta at all and its brightest star is Gamma. Lacaille kept the ship's original lettering rather than starting each piece again, so Alpha and Beta went to Carina and stayed there. Puppis carries the same gap, and no other constellation in the sky does. Gamma Velorum itself is the nearest example of a Wolf-Rayet star, one that has already blown its outer layers off into space and is burning its exposed core, far hotter than an ordinary star and still shedding what is left of itself. Spread across a large part of the constellation is the Vela supernova remnant, the wreckage of a star that exploded around eleven thousand years ago. Etymology From Latin Reading Vela Literally the sails 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 Vela over time -50,000 years ⣀⣀⠤⠔⠒⠊⠉·⠓⠢⠤⣄⡀ ⢀⣀⡤⠤⠒⠒⠉⠉ ⠈⠙⠒⠢⢤⣀ Suhail ⢰·⠉⠁ ⠉⠙⠒•⣀ ⡎ ⠉⠒⢤⣀ ⢰⠃ ⠈⠙⠢⢄⡀ ⡜ ⠈⠑⠤⣀ ⢀⠇ ⠉⠢⢄⡀ ⣸ ⠈⠑⠦⣄⡀ ⡇ ⠉⠒⡤ ⠘•⡀ ⣀⠔⠋• ⠈⠓⠦⣀ ⢀⡤⠊⠁ ⠑⠢⣀ ⢀⣠⠖⠁ ⠈⠙⠢⢄ ⣠⠔⠉ ⠉⠲⢤⡀ ⢀⠴⠊ ⠈⠓⢄⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⡀ ⢀⣀⣀⣀⡤⠤⠤⠔⠒⠒⠒⠉• · ⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉•⠉⠉ now ⢀⣀⡠⠤·⢄ ⣀⣀⠤⠴⠒⠚⠉⠁ ⠙⠢⣀ ⣀⡠⠤⠔⠒⠋⠉⠁ ⠈⠑⠦⡀ ⡜· ⠈⠓⢄⡀ ⡜ Suhail •⠓⠦⣀ ⡜ ⠈⠙⠲⢄⡀ ⡜ ⠈⠑⠤⣀ ⡜ ⠉⠲⢤⣀ ⡜ ⠈⠓⠦⣄ ⡜ ⠉⠒⢄⡀ ⡜ ⢀⠔• ⢀⡞ ⡠⠖⠁ ⠈•⠦⢄⣀ ⢀⡤⠊⠁ ⠉⠒⠤⣀⡀ ⣀⠔⠃ ⠈⠑⠲⠤⣀ ⡠⠖⠁ ⠉⠑⠦⢄⡀ ⢀⡤⠋ ⠈⠉·⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠢⠤⠤•⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⢤⣀⣀⠴⠁ • +50,000 years ⣀⣀⠤⠤⠒· ⢀⣀⣠⠤⠔⠒⠊⠉ ⠘⣆ ⢀⣀⡤⠤⠖⠒⠉⠉ ⠘⣆ ⢀⠜· ⠘⢆ ⢠⠏ ⠈⢆⡀ ⡴⠁ Suhail •⠈⠓⢦⣀ ⢀⠜ ⠈⠙⠢⢄⡀ ⢠⠋ ⠈⠒⠤⣀ ⡴⠁ ⠈⠙⠲⢄⡀ ⢀⠜ ⠉⠓⠤⡀ ⡠⠋ ⠈⠑⠢⣄ ⡴⠁ ⣀⠖• ⢀⠎ ⡠⠎⠁ ⡰⠃ ⣠⠚⠁ ⠘•⠤⠤⣀⡀ ⡠⠚ ⠈⠉⠑⠒⠦⠤⣄⣀ ⢀⡰⠊ ⠉⠉⠒⠢⠤⢄⣀⡀ ⢀⠴⠊ ⠉⠉·⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒•⠤⣀⣀ ⢀⡔⠋ ⠉⠉⠒⠒⠤⢄⣀⠔⠃ • Over 50,000 years either way the longest side of this figure changes by 1%, and the furthest any of its stars travels is 2.8 degrees. HR 3485 and HR 4216 drift the opposite way to the other 6, which travel together. Proper motion only: this is the shape changing, not the sky turning or the pole moving. curl 'skymap.sh/Vela/evolution.gif' where it is tonight: skymap.sh/Vela