Volans lies southwest of the constellation Carina. It is an inconspicuous constellation with no bright stars. It consists of stars of 4th magnitude and fainter. Because it is so far south, it is not visible to observers in most of the Northern Hemisphere.
History and Mythology
Volans was created by Bayer in 1603 to accompany the mythological ship Argo, from the story of Jason and his Argonauts. As a modern constellation, it has no mythology of its own.
Notable Objects
Alpha Volantis is a 4th magnitude, white star located 124 light-years away. Beta Volantis is an orange giant of magnitude 3.77. Gamma Volantis is a double system consisting of a white 4th magnitude and yellow 6th magnitude star, 14 arcseconds apart.
The only prominent galaxy in Volans is NGC 2442. It is an 11th magnitude, face-on, barred spiral. It can be seen in a 12 inch or larger telescope.