Vulpecula constellation lies in the northern sky. Its name means “the little fox” in Latin. It is not associated with any myths.
The constellation is a relatively faint one, with no stars brighter than fourth magnitude. It lies in the middle of the Summer Triangle, an asterism formed by the bright stars Vega in the constellation Lyra, Altair in Aquila, and Deneb in Cygnus.
Vulpecula was introduced by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in the late 17th century. Hevelius originally named the constellation Vulpecula cum ansere, or Vulpecula et Anser, which means the little fox with the goose. The constellation was depicted as a fox holding a goose in its jaws. The stars were later separated to form two constellations, Anser and Vulpecula, and then merged back together into the present-day Vulpecula constellation. The goose was left out of the constellation’s name, but instead the brightest star, Alpha Vulpeculae, carries the name Anser.
Notable deep sky objects in Vulpecula include the famous Dumbbell Nebula (Messier 27), which was the first planetary nebula to be discovered, the elliptical galaxy NGC 7052, and Brocchi’s Cluster. The constellation is also home to the first pulsar ever discovered, PSR B1919+21, first observed by Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish in 1967.
FACTS, LOCATION & MAP
Vulpecula is the 55th constellation in size, occupying an area of 268 square degrees. It is located in the fourth quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ4) and can be seen at latitudes between +90° and -55°. The neighboring constellations are Cygnus, Delphinus, Hercules, Lyra, Pegasus and Sagitta.
Vulpecula belongs to the Hercules family of constellations, along with Aquila, Ara, Centaurus, Corona Australis, Corvus, Crater, Crux, Cygnus, Hercules, Hydra, Lupus, Lyra, Ophiuchus, Sagitta, Scutum, Sextans, Serpens and Triangulum Australe.
Vulpecula contains one Messier object – Messier 27 (M27, NGC 6853, Dumbbell Nebula) – and has four stars with known planets. The brightest star in the constellation is Anser, Alpha Vulpeculae, with an apparent magnitude of 4.44. There are no meteor showers associated with the constellation.
STORY
Vulpecula constellation has not been named after a figure in mythology. It was introduced by Johannes Hevelius in 1687. Hevelius placed it near two constellations that also represent hunting animals: the eagle (Aquila) and the vulture (which the constellation Lyra used to be associated with).
Hevelius said that Vulpecula et Anser, or the little fox with the goose, represented a fox carrying a goose to Cerberus, the dog that guarded the entrance to the Underworld in Greek mythology. Hevelius had invented the Cerberus constellation too, but it is now obsolete.
Vulpecula and Anser were later split into two constellations, the Fox and the Goose, only to be merged again under the name Vulpecula. The brightest star in the constellation, Alpha Vulpeculae, carries the name Anser and now represents the Goose.
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