So, I took a bit of time yesterday to start to answer the question "where is the brightest piece of Puppis A"? I'm still working on it, but I recall reading somewhere that Dave Tosteson once saw it...presumably from the southern United States and with his 32-inch? I can't find an article by him in the index for
Sky & Telescope, Deep-Sky Observer, Amateur Astronomy, nor
Deep Sky Magazine.
I'm dreaming of seeing it someday from the United States. But even from Jimi Lowrey's observatory, it only rises 16.5* up...which is probably below where he takes his telescope. Maybe it would be visible from the Florida Keys or Hawai'i with a 16-inch or less?
Scott H.