Argo Navis - Definition and Overview

The constellation Argo Navis drawn by Johannes Hevelius in 1690

Argo Navis (or simply Argo) was a large southern constellation representing the Argo, the ship used by Jason and the Argonauts in Greek mythology.

It is the only one of Ptolemy's list of 48 constellations which is no longer officially recognised as a constellation, having been broken up by Nicolas Louis de Lacaille into Carina (the keel of the ship), Puppis (the poop) and Vela (the sails). Were it still considered a single constellation, it would be the largest of all, being larger than Hydra.

When Argo Navis was split, its Bayer designations were also split. Carina has the Alpha and Beta, Vela has Gamma and Delta, Carina has Epsilon, Puppis has Zeta, and so on.

The constellation Pyxis (the compass) occupies an area which in antiquity was considered part of Argo's mast. But Pyxis is not usually considered part of Argo Navis, and in particular its Bayer designations are separate from those of Carina, Puppis and Vela.

See Also