Vela

Vela is one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Its genitive form is Velorum, its standard abbreviation is Vel, it is traditionally shown as the Sails. It belongs to the Heavenly Waters family of constellations and lies in the second quadrant of the southern hemisphere. The constellation covers about 500 square degrees of sky, ranking 32nd in size among the 88. Its brightest star is γ Vel at apparent magnitude 1.75. It borders Antlia, Pyxis, Puppis, Carina and Centaurus. In this atlas the entity is the shared sky reference for astronomical objects catalogued by constellation, so every star, nebula or galaxy located within Vela resolves to one identity.