Celestial Atlas
Virgo <—     Volans: The Flying Fish     —> Vulpecula
(possessive form Volantis, abbreviation Vol)
Hold the cursor over any Greek letter shown in the text to see its English transliteration
Constellations Bordering Volans
Carina / Pictor / Dorado / Mensa / Chamaeleon

One of twelve southern constellations mapped by Dutch explorer Frederick de Houtman and navigator Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser in 1595-97, formed into constellations by Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius, and introduced to the world at large by Johann Bayer, in his 1603 Uranometria.


Illustrations of Volans
From Bayer's 1603 Uranometria
(Image Credit: USNO copy of the 1661 edition of Bayer's Uranometria)
Portion of Bayer's Uranometria showing Volans
Nebecula Major is the Large Magellanic Cloud, and the South Celestial Pole is near top left
In the maps above and below the constellation is shown as Piscis Volans

From Bode's 1801 Uranographia
(Image Credit and © Tartu Observatory Virtual Museum; used by permission)
Portion of Bode's Uranographia showing the region near Volans

Map of Volans
Modified version of Wikimedia Commons map by Torsten Bronger


Stars in Volans

     Stars which have common names often have multiple names, so the common names shown (if any) cannot be considered authoritative. Right ascension and declination are given in 2000.0 coordinates.

α Vol

β Vol

γ Vol

δ Vol

ε Vol


Celestial Atlas
Virgo <—     Volans: The Flying Fish     —> Vulpecula