Argo Navis 8, Puppis

Puppis
The Stern

The Brighter Stars of Puppis
Naos or suhail hadar
The Story
The Good Ship ArgoPuppis is the Stern of the Ship Argo, which was once represented in the sky by the very large constellation Argo Navis. On his sky chart published in 1763 Abbe Nicholas Louis de Lacaille divided Argo Navis into the three separate constellations of Carina, Puppis, and Vela representing the Keel, Stern, and Sail of the Argo.
Jason and His CrewJason and the fifty greatest heroes of Greece sailed the Argo off into the Black Sea of Asia to recover the fabulous Golden Fleece. The twins Castor and Polydeuces (Pollux) were part of the crew, along with Argus, the builder of the ship. Hercules was also part of the crew, and Orpheus, the great musician as well.
Building the ShipThe ship was built with timbers from Mount Pelion to the design of the goddess Athene, known for her wisdom. The bow of the ship was built around a wondrous oak beam from the Temple of Zeus at Dodona, where there was a well known oracle who spoke the words of Zeus. Being part of the oracle, the oak could speak itself. And while the voyage was being prepared the oak beam in the prow of the Argo could be heard continually calling for action.
A View From the SternOnly the rear of the Argo is shown in the sky. Perhaps we are seeing the ship sail off into the mist or disappear between the Clashing Rocks at the entrance to the Black Sea.

Naos or suhail hadar
Zeta Puppis

Distance (Light Years)
1400 ± 300
Visual Magnitude
2.21
Color (B-V)
-0.26
Names For This StarNaos means Ship. Allen credits the American astronomer Elijah Burritt introducing this name for the star in his 19th century Atlas.
The Arabic Suhail Hadar would be something like "The Bright Star of the Ground."
Description of the StarNaos is a hot blue O5f star, about 20 times the sun in diameter and perhaps 20,000 times as luminous.