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Glite Dictionary
Puppis

Puppis

1 9.9
A group of stars in the southern sky that looks like the back of a ship
  • proper noun
: Puppis
  • The nearby 10,000-year-old Vela supernova remnant dominates the image, with the younger Puppis A remnant visible in the upper right.

Examples

  • M46 is a gorgeous open cluster in the constellation Puppis.

  • Two exceptional star clusters lie along the spine of the Milky Way in northern Puppis.

    Academic text (2006)

  • But northern Puppis actually extends farther north than Sirius—the brightest star in the sky and Puppis' neighbor to the west.

    Academic text (2006)

  • But northern Puppis actually extends farther north than Sirius—the brightest star in the sky and Puppis' neighbor to the west.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Indeed, Puppis is the Milky Way's least dusty region.

  • M93 lies 1.5 northwest of Puppis.

Surface Forms

Puppis main

Etymology

Puppis comes from the Latin puppis, meaning 'stern' or 'the back of a ship'. A helpful way to remember it is the same root appears in the English phrase poop deck, and the constellation was named for the ship's stern in the sky, which is why sailors used Puppis to find their way.