Vulpecula

Vulpecula is a small, faint constellation in the northern sky, introduced by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1687.

It can be found in the middle of the Summer Triangle asterism, and is highest in the evening sky in the months around July.

Vulpecula contains no bright stars – Alpha Vulpeculae shines at a meagre mag 4.4. It does, however, lie close to the plane of the Milky Way, and contains several open clusters. The Dumbbell Nebula (M27) – the brightest planetary nebula in the sky – also lies within its borders.

Vulpecula represents a fox with a goose in its mouth, chosen by Hevelius because it lay next to two other hunting animals, the Eagle (Aquila) and the vulture (a historical interpretation of Lyra).

In the Indian constellation system this constellation is called ಶೃಗಾಲ (Shrugaala)

Vulpecula contains:

• Stars
  • α-Vul (mag 4.5)
  • 23-Vul (mag 4.5)
  • 31-Vul (mag 4.6)
  • 13-Vul (mag 4.6)
  • NT Vul (mag 4.7)
  • QR Vul (mag 4.7)
  • 1-Vul (mag 4.7)
  • 29-Vul (mag 4.8)
  • 12-Vul (mag 4.9)
  • 30-Vul (mag 4.9)
  • 9-Vul (mag 5.0)
  • 32-Vul (mag 5.0)
  • 28-Vul (mag 5.0)
  • 17-Vul (mag 5.0)
  • 4-Vul (mag 5.1)
  • QS Vul (mag 5.2)
  • 3-Vul (mag 5.2)
  • NU Vul (mag 5.2)
  • 33-Vul (mag 5.3)
  • 24-Vul (mag 5.3)
  • 35-Vul (mag 5.4)
  • ES Vul (mag 5.4)
  • 19-Vul (mag 5.5)
  • 10-Vul (mag 5.5)
  • 18-Vul (mag 5.5)
• Open Clusters
  • NGC 6885 (mag 5.7)
  • NGC 6940 (mag 6.3)
  • NGC 6823 (mag 7.1)
  • NGC 6830 (mag 7.9)
  • NGC 6882 (mag 8.1)
  • NGC 6802 (mag 8.8)
  • IC 1299 (mag 14.0)
  • NGC 6827
  • NGC 6815
  • NGC 6800
  • NGC 6793
  • None
• Globular Clusters
  • None
• Galaxy
  • NGC 7080 (mag 12.3)
  • NGC 7052 (mag 13.1)
  • NGC 6921 (mag 15.0)
  • None