Photograph of Nebula in Argo
        
        Photograph of Argo nebula by David Gill of Royal Observatory at the Cape. 
The southern constellation Argo (full name Argo Navis - the ship of Jason and the Argonauts) was broken up in the 18th century by the French astronomer, LaCaille into 4 much smaller constellations Carina (the keel), Puppis (the stern), Pyxis (the compass) and Vela (the sails). While nebulae exist in a number of these constellations it seems likely that the nebula this is a depiction of is Eta-Carinae which at its brightest in 1843 was brighter than the brightest star in Carina.
      
    The southern constellation Argo (full name Argo Navis - the ship of Jason and the Argonauts) was broken up in the 18th century by the French astronomer, LaCaille into 4 much smaller constellations Carina (the keel), Puppis (the stern), Pyxis (the compass) and Vela (the sails). While nebulae exist in a number of these constellations it seems likely that the nebula this is a depiction of is Eta-Carinae which at its brightest in 1843 was brighter than the brightest star in Carina.
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Object Details
| ID: | AST1105 | 
|---|---|
| Collection: | Astronomical and navigational instruments | 
| Type: | Photoprint | 
| Display location: | Not on display | 
| Creator: | Gill, David | 
| Date made: | 1892 | 
| Credit: | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Herschel Collection | 
| Measurements: | 260 mm x 285 mm | 
 
                    