Vulpecula constellation

Vulpecula (the Little Fox) is a constellation in the northern sky, best seen in the evening in September. Its brightest star is Anser (magnitude 4.44). Vulpecula covers 268 square degrees and is the 55th-largest of the 88 constellations.

Updated: 2026-11-01

Vulpecula constellation: the main stars connected by lines — The shape of Vulpecula: its brighter stars joined by the traditional stick figure.

Free to use with credit: Atlas of the Sky (constellationmap.org), CC BY 4.0 · More

Embed this image on your website

Paste this HTML into your page. It shows the image and credits the source as the license requires.

<a href="https://constellationmap.org/constellations/vulpecula/"><img src="https://constellationmap.org/img/constellations/vulpecula-constellation.png" alt="Vulpecula constellation: the main stars connected by lines" width="800" height="800" loading="lazy"></a>
<br><small><a href="https://constellationmap.org/constellations/vulpecula/">Vulpecula constellation</a> · Atlas of the Sky (constellationmap.org), <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a></small>

Detailed star map of Vulpecula

Vulpecula constellation star map with lines connecting the stars, the brightest stars labeled (Anser), Messier objects M27, the IAU boundary and neighboring constellations — Map of Vulpecula: lines connect the stars of the traditional figure, the dashed line is the official IAU boundary. Star names and Greek letters mark the brightest stars.

Facts

Latin name	Vulpecula (genitive: Vulpeculae)
Abbreviation	Vul
Meaning	the Little Fox
Area	268 square degrees (55th of 88)
Location	right ascension 20.2 h, declination +25°
Visible from	latitudes 90° N to 61° S (whole constellation)
Best month	September (at about 9 pm)
Brightest star	Anser
Stars brighter than magnitude 6	45
Named stars (IAU)	1
Messier objects	M27
Neighbors	Cygnus, Delphinus, Hercules, Lyra, Pegasus, Sagitta

Sources: star positions, magnitudes and colors from the Yale Bright Star Catalogue; constellation boundaries and star names from the IAU; areas and distances from Wikidata; stick figures by M. van der Sluys. How the maps are made.

How to find Vulpecula

From 40° N (the USA, southern Europe, Japan) look south in September evenings: at about 9 pm Vulpecula stands highest, around 75° above the southern horizon. From 35° S (Australia, South Africa, Argentina) it is highest in the north, about 30° above the horizon. The months before and after (August and October) are also good: then it is up a couple of hours earlier or later.

Vulpecula borders Cygnus, Delphinus, Hercules, Lyra, Pegasus and Sagitta.

Where Vulpecula is in the night sky, shown among its neighbors Cygnus, Delphinus, Hercules, Lyra, Pegasus and Sagitta — Vulpecula (highlighted) among the neighboring constellations. Bright stars are named for orientation.

Stars of Vulpecula

Vulpecula has 45 stars brighter than magnitude 6, the limit of the naked eye under a dark sky. These are the brightest:

Star	Designation	Magnitude	Type	Distance
Anser	α Vulpeculae	4.44	M0III	326 ly

Deep-sky objects in Vulpecula

Vulpecula contains one object from Charles Messier's catalog:

Dumbbell Nebula (M27): planetary nebula, 7.5 mag

Printable Vulpecula map and outline

A black and white version for printing and a plain outline of the Vulpecula figure, useful for school projects, worksheets and learning to recognize the shape.

Printable black and white map of the Vulpecula constellation with star names, lines and boundary

Vulpecula constellation outline: the stick figure of Vulpecula without labels

History

Vulpecula is introduced by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in 1690. Its official boundary was drawn by Eugène Delporte for the International Astronomical Union in 1930.