Pi Puppis
Encyclopedia
Pi Puppis is a star
in the constellation
Puppis
.
In Chinese
, , meaning Bow and Arrow
, refers to an asterism consisting of π Puppis, δ Canis Majoris
, η Canis Majoris
, c Puppis, ZI 674, ο Puppis, κ Puppis, ε Canis Majoris
and κ Canis Majoris
. Consequently, π Puppis itself is known as
Collinder 135
.
For the meteor shower appearing in the region of this star, see Pi Puppids
.
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Puppis
Puppis
Puppis is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is the Latin word for the poop deck of a ship, and Puppis represents the deck of the ship and its deckhouses...
.
In Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, , meaning Bow and Arrow
Well (Chinese constellation)
The Well mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the southern mansions of the Vermilion Bird.-Asterisms:...
, refers to an asterism consisting of π Puppis, δ Canis Majoris
Delta Canis Majoris
Delta Canis Majoris is a star in the constellation Canis Major. It has the traditional name Wezen or Wesen...
, η Canis Majoris
Eta Canis Majoris
Eta Canis Majoris is a star in the constellation Canis Major. It has the traditional name Aludra.The name Aludra originates from the Arabic: عذرا al-‘aðrā "the virgin"...
, c Puppis, ZI 674, ο Puppis, κ Puppis, ε Canis Majoris
Epsilon Canis Majoris
Epsilon Canis Majoris is the second brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation "epsilon" despite being the second brightest and not the fifth brightest star in its constellation. It has the traditional name Adhara...
and κ Canis Majoris
Kappa Canis Majoris
Kappa Canis Majoris is a star in the constellation Canis Major.κ Canis Majoris is a blue-white B-type subgiant with a mean apparent magnitude of +3.50. It is approximately 790 light years from Earth. It is classified as a Gamma Cassiopeiae type variable star and its brightness varies from...
. Consequently, π Puppis itself is known as
Properties
It is the brightest star in the open clusterOpen cluster
An open cluster is a group of up to a few thousand stars that were formed from the same giant molecular cloud and have roughly the same age. More than 1,100 open clusters have been discovered within the Milky Way Galaxy, and many more are thought to exist...
Collinder 135
Collinder 135
Collinder 135, known sometimes as the Pi Puppis Cluster, is an open cluster in Puppis constellation.It consists of four stars visible also to naked eye, and a widespread population of stars. It lies in the southern celestial hemisphere near a rich star field...
.
For the meteor shower appearing in the region of this star, see Pi Puppids
Pi Puppids
The Pi Puppids are a meteor shower associated with the comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup.The meteor stream was viewable around April 23 but only in years around the parent comet's perihelion date, the last being in 2003...
.