1-152-575 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Astronomical map, centred on the Southern constellation of Argo Navis, 1742. From Atlas Coelestis by John Gabriel Doppelmayer. (Nuremberg, 1742). Argo Navis (or Argus) is an old name for a combination of the four consellations of Carina (the Keel), Vela (the Sail), Puppis (the Stern), and Pyxis (the Compass). It represents the ship in which Jason and the Argonauts sailed to find the Golden Fleece in Greek legend. It contains Canopus, the second brightest star in the night sky, as well as Eta Carinae, one of the most massive stars yet discovered, which is highly unstable and prone to massive outbursts of energy.