This large southern constellation lies in one of the most beautiful parts of the sky. The Milky Way passes through Carina and the neighbouring constellation Vela making random scanning recommended. The star field is extremly rich and a pleasure to observe even with binoculars or small scopes.

Deep Sky Objects:
NGC 2516 - Open Cluster, magnitude 3.80
NGC 2802 - Globular Cluster, magnitude 6.30
NGC 3372 - Planetary Nebula, known as Homunculus Nebula. Visible to the naked eye, are ejections from the erratic variable star Eta Carinae, one of the Milky Way's largest stars and a candidate for becoming a supernova within 10,000 years.
NGC 3532 - Open Cluster magnitude 3.00
IC 2602 - Open Cluster, magnitude 1.90, known as the Southern Pleiades

Numbered Stars with Magnitudes:
1. -0.65 - Canopus
2. +2.15 - Avior
3. +4.30
4. +3.40
5. +2.20 - Aspidiske
6. +3.35
7. +3.80
8. +3.75
9. +3.90
10. +4.55
11. +8.10
12. +3.25
13. +1.65 - Miaplacidus

Star number 1 is the 2nd brighest star in our night sky.

Argo Navis was a large constellation in the southern sky which represented the ship used by Jason and the Argonauts.

Argo Navis is the only one of the 48 constellations listed by the 1st century astronomer Ptolemy that is no longer officially recognised as a constellation. Due to its huge size, it would be the largest constellation of all. In 1752, the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille subdivided Argo Navis into Carina (the keel of the ship), Puppis (the poop deck) and Vela (the sails).

The constellation Pyxis (the mariner's compass) occupies an area which was once considered part of Argo's mast. However, Pyxis is not now considered part of Argo Navis.