Puppis used to the stern belonging to the large constellation Argo Navis (the Ship of the Argonauts) before it was broken up into more managable constellations by Nicolas-Louis Lacaille in the 18th Century

Puppis lies over the Milky Way just below and to the left of Canis Major. There are many open clusters that can be found spread out on the left side of the constellation. A list of the best starting at the top of the constellation follows.

Firstly there is M47, a cluster of about 30 stars that covers an area of the sky that is as big as the diameter of the full moon. It is about 1600 light years away. Best seen through binoculars.

Next is M46 a direct neighbour to M47, which has upwards of 90 stars, at an average magnitude of about 7. It lies at about 5400 light years away and is best viewed with a telescope of 75mm or larger on low magnification.

About a third of the way down there is M93, another binocular cluster with maybe 75 stars. It lies about 3600 light years away.

Just above Zeta Puppis and to the right is NGC 2451. It has about 40 stars and is situated 850 light years away. Best seen through binoculars.

Just Next to NGC 2451 on the left is NGC2477. Lying about 5 times the distance of NGC 2451, it is a fainter object with about 160 stars, and requires a telescope on low magnification for the best view.

To the left of Zeta Puppis is NGC 2546, a cluster with about 40 stars. Best seen with a telescope on low magnification.