Constellations · Constellation · Vulpeculae · Vul
Constellation
Vulpecula
The little fox, which Hevelius drew with a goose in its jaws. Faint, but it holds the first planetary nebula ever found.
- Genitive
- Vulpeculae
- Area
- 268 square degrees · 55th of 88
- Brightest star
- Anser · magnitude 4.44
- Naked-eye stars
- 71 brighter than magnitude 6.5
- Highest at midnight
- mid July
Look for
The Dumbbell Nebula, found by Charles Messier in 1764, is bright enough for binoculars. Nearby is the Coathanger, an asterism hanging upside down.
Discovery
The first pulsar was found here in 1967 by Jocelyn Bell Burnell; its regular radio pulses were briefly nicknamed LGM-1, for “little green men”.