Volans

Abbreviation:  Vol
English Name:  The Flying Fish
Genitive: Volantis
Hemisphere:  Southern Hemisphere
Location: Between the constellations of Carina and Mensa.
Visible between latitudes:  +10 and -90 degrees
Best season: Winter
Seen in three seasons: Autumn, Winter and Spring.
Best seen in:  March
Seen between: January and April.
Right Ascension (RA): 08  hour
Declination (DEC):  +70 degrees
Area (square degrees):  141 (76th)

Volans  (The Flying Fish)

• Small and faint constellation lying between Centaurus and the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) – although half of Volans constellation lies in the outer portion of Milky-Way.
• There are no open clusters or globular clusters, nor any diffuse, there are several faint galaxies – only one is brightest (NGC 2422).

Messier Objects

• No Messier objects in Volans.

Features of Interest

• NGC 2442  –  Spiral Galaxy; visible in 4-inch telescopes as just a faint elliptical haze.  Larger telescopes reveals the central nucleus. (Magnitude: +11.2)

Named Stars

• Gamma Volantis  (attractive double star – reveals orange star & yellow star.)
• Epsilon Volantis  (double star – can be divided with a small telescope.)

Others

• Photo of the constellation; Volans, as it appears to the naked eye. (Lines have been added for clarity.)
• Sky Chart  –  Volans
• List of stars in Volans.

 

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