In the tale of Jason and the Argonauts, Jason was the nephew of King Pelias. The king sent Jason on a quest for the Golden Fleece -- the magical fleece of a ram -- to prevent him from claiming the king's throne.
Jason set sail aboard the Argo with a crew of 50 heroes, including Castor and Pollux -- the "twins" of the constellation Gemini. The Argonauts encountered Harpies, Amazons, and other obstacles. But they finally arrived at Colchis, where Jason found the golden fleece.
To commemorate their voyage, the goddess Athena placed the Argo in the heavens. But the ancient constellation was so large that astronomers split it into several pieces: Carina, the keel; Vela, the sail; Puppis, the poop; and Pyxis, the compass.
All four constellations are easy to spot from the southern hemisphere. From the north, though, they're a bit tougher. Viewers in the southern United States have the best look, but the constellations are barely above the southern horizon. To find the remnants of the Argo, locate Sirius, the brightest star in our sky, low in the south. Argo is scattered to the south and east of Sirius.
Written by Damond Benningfield -- Stardate radio script (1992-01-18)