Among the latests Moravia's compositions constellations most important of the celestial vault we find the aquarius constellation. It is one of the 12 constellations of the zodiac, which means that it is located on the line that the sun follows across the sky. It is one of the most important since it is also considered one of the oldest constellations. It is an agglomeration of stars that already appeared in the list of the 48 constellations that were cataloged by the astronomer Irrigation 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 enumeration of stars is found in the zodiac specifically in an area known as the sea. The sea is named in this way since it is located in the celestial sphere where several constellations that refer to the sea inhabit. For example, we find constellations with the names of Whale, Dolphin, Fish and the Eridano. The constellation Aquarius can be found in the fourth quadrant of the southern hemisphere. Although it can be seen from any latitude always when it will be less than 65 degrees north. Beyond can not be visualized.
It is found around other adjoining constellations, they are the Eagle, Capricorn, the Whale, the Dolphin, the Horse, Pegasus, the Fish, the Austral Fish and the Sculptor's Workshop. It can be recognized with the naked eye as its most important star shines brighter than the others. This star is named after Beta Aquarii. This constellation stands out for having other astronomical objects within the star cluster. Among these astronomical objects we have the globular clusters known by the names of Messier 2 and Messier 72, as well as another group of stars known by the name of Messier 73. We also find in this constellation the Saturn nebula and the Helix nebula.
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 started from the association of the Babylonians with the destructive effects of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In other words, every time these rivers caused flooding and destruction, the Babylonians associated these catastrophes with the will of 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. In mythology it is said that Ganymede was kidnapped by Zeus in order to turn him into the cupbearer in charge of serving the rest of the Olympian gods. In some versions of this mythology it is said that the constellation Aquarius appeared as a vessel that poured water in the direction of the constellation of the Southern Fish.
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.