hip-50078

Its story

In Vela, that piece of the ancient ship Argo, shines an A-type white star. Its light set out almost three hundred and forty years ago, towards the end of the seventeenth century, when Halley was calculating the orbit of the comet that would carry his name. Hotter and more luminous than the Sun, it gives off that cool white glow of young stars. It hangs discreetly from the celestial canvas, never disputing the spotlight of the great lights of the ship, like a lesser sail the cartographer's hand added to complete the rigging of the southern voyage.