Among the most important constellations in the celestial sphere is Aquarius . It is one of the 12 constellations of the zodiac, meaning it lies along the path of the sun across the sky. It is one of the most important because it is also considered one of the oldest constellations. It is a cluster of stars that already appeared in the list of 48 constellations cataloged by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about the constellation of Aquarius.
Key features
This list of stars is found in the zodiac, specifically in an area known as the Sea. The Sea is named as such because it is located in the celestial sphere and is home to several constellations that refer to the sea. For example, we find constellations named after the Whale, Dolphin, Fishes, and Eridanus. The constellation Aquarius can be found in the fourth quadrant of the southern hemisphere. Although it can be seen from any latitude as long as it is less than 65 degrees north , it is not visible beyond that.
It is located around several neighboring constellations, including Aquila, Capricornus, Cetus, Delphinus, Equuleus, Pegasus, Pisces, Piscis Australis, and Sculptor's Workshop. It is easily recognizable because its brightest star, Beta Aquarii , shines more brightly than the others. This constellation is notable for containing other astronomical objects within its star clusters. Among these are the globular clusters Messier 2 and Messier 72, as well as another group of stars known as Messier 73. The Saturn Nebula and the Helix Nebula are also found within this constellation.
Origin and mythology of the constellation Aquarius
This constellation has been known since the XNUMXnd century BC. It was discovered by the astronomers of Babylon. This civilization used to associate the constellation Aquarius with the God Ea. This God was represented through a vessel in which he poured water. One of the events caused by the translation of the Earth is the winter solstice. This event was quite important since it took place during the passage through the constellation of Aquarius. This is the reason why the period of time that elapsed between the days before and the days after the winter solstice was known as the path of Ea.
The importance of this god stemmed from the Babylonians' association of the destructive effects of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In other words, whenever these rivers caused floods and destruction, the Babylonians attributed these catastrophes to the will of the god Ea.
Another civilization that has positive connotations about the constellation of Aquarius is the Egyptian. The Egyptians related the constellation of Aquarius with the annual flooding of the Nile. Thanks to the flow of this river, they were able to supply themselves in to irrigate the cultivated fields and use the water for domestic consumption. According to tradition, the beginning of spring is marked by the constellation of Aquarius. It is said that Aquarius dipped his jug into the Nile River and caused a flood.
Another civilization that alludes to this constellation is Greek mythology. In this mythology, Aquarius is identified with Ganymede. Ganymede was a divine hero, son of Tros and King Dardania. Mythology tells that Ganymede was abducted by Zeus to become the cupbearer responsible for serving the other Olympian gods. In some versions of this mythology, the constellation Aquarius appears as a vessel pouring water in the direction of the constellation Piscis Australis.
Stars of the constellation Aquarius
Although it is one of the constellations located in the zodiac, it is a very abundant area of ​​stars. It does not have too many bright stars, only the stars that are called by the name of Alpha Aquarii and Beta Aquarii. The rest of the stars have a magnitude in terms of luminosity lower than 3. We are going to know more in detail and what are the characteristics of the main stars of this constellation.
- Beta Aquarius: It is a star that is about 540 light years from the solar system. It is known to be a yellow super giant with a mass estimated to be about 6 times that of the sun.
- Alpha Aquarius: This is also known by the name of Sadalmelik which means luck of the king in Arabic. It is the second brightest star in this constellation. Its apparent magnitude is 2.94. It is located at a distance of 520 light years from the solar system.
- Gamma Aquarius: This star has a magnitude of 3.85 and is one of the brightest in this constellation. It is also known by the name of Sadachbia, which means the lucky star of the houses. It is one of the binary stars has and is located at a distance of 158 light years from the solar system.
- Delta Aquarius: it is the third brightest star in the constellation Aquarius. It has received the common name of Skat which means leg. Its magnitude is approximately 3.3 and it is located at a distance of 113 years from the solar system.
- Zeta Aquarius: this star is not and an individual. It is made up of two stars, although in some observations it is said that it could even be made up of 3 stars. Its traditional name is Sadaltager which means the area of ​​the merchant's luck. Its magnitude is approximately 3.659 and it is located at a distance of 92 light years from Earth.
One of the main characteristics of this constellation is that a large number of exoplanets have been detected that are around their stars. Four planets have been found revolving around the star Gliese 876. Another star where two planets similar in size to Jupiter orbit is Gliese 849.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the constellation of Aquarius.