Volans, the Flying Fish, is a small southern constellation beside the keel of Carina, a reminder of the fish Dutch sailors saw leaping from tropical seas.
At a glance
| stars in the figure | 5 |
|---|---|
| nearest star of the figure | Beta Volantis, 108 light-years (33 pc) |
| farthest star of the figure | Delta Volantis, 738 light-years (226 pc) |
| depth | the farthest is 6.9 × farther than the nearest |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Volans
Volans is one of the southern figures drawn up from the observations of the Dutch navigators Pieter Keyser and Frederick de Houtman and published by Petrus Plancius. The flying fish, which glide above the waves of warm oceans, were among the wonders reported by sailors on the voyages south, and the constellation was set beside the stars of the ship Argo, as if leaping alongside it.
Its stars are modest but form a compact figure between Carina, Chamaeleon, Mensa and Dorado. Gamma Volantis is a pretty double star in a small telescope, a pair of contrasting colours.
Volans lies close enough to the south celestial pole to stay up all night from much of the southern hemisphere, highest on summer evenings there. From most northern latitudes it is never seen.
What you see in the piece
With CONSTELLATIONS (N) on, leave the HUMAN EYE view (E) and the fish scatters in depth, its nearest drawn star several times closer than its farthest.
Questions
How far away are the stars of Volans?
The nearest star of the figure is Beta Volantis, 108 light-years (33 pc); the farthest is Delta Volantis, 738 light-years (226 pc). The farthest is 6.9 × farther than the nearest.