Suhail

Its story

Suhail sails through the southern constellation Vela —the ancient remnants of Jason's ship Argo—, an orange giant variable some 544 light-years away. Its name, from the Arabic «suhayl», once referred to several bright southern stars that guided desert caravans home through long nights. Today it belongs to her alone, beating gently above the skies of the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, beyond the reach of European observers.