Background:
Carina, the Keel of the Ship "Argo Navis", is a large constellation in the southern region of the sky near Crux, known for its treasure trove of exquisite deep sky objects, an envy for most northern hemisphere observers. Argo Navis was the boat used by Jason and his Argonauts to search for the Golden Fleece. Carina also contains the second brightest star visible from Earth, Canopus. Some of Carina's stars also form part of the false cross (with Vela) and contains the "Diamond" shape of stars frequently referred to. Carina contains the objects "Eta Carina", a star busy dying as well as NGC 3532 - one of the largest and most populated open clusters visible. It contains numerous other binocular objects.

Where is it?
Carina lies within a rich part of the Milky Way region in the southern skies. It is most prominent in Autumn and early to mid winter for its southern hemisphere observers, in the evenings. It lies to the west of Crux, between Vela and the fainter small southern constellations.


Finding it:
Carina is not too difficult to learn, due to the bright Canopus (alpha Carinae) being a prominent star in the sky. It is best to jump from Crux to Carina's "diamond" using a skymap if you don't work your way from Canopus. Once you've found the diamond, move along to the false cross and all the way to Canopus. While you're at it, use a binocular to scan the Carina-Vela area of the sky and see what the constellations have to offer...