This is why the constellation is sometimes connected to Ea, a mythological Babylonian God who was often depicted carrying a vase with overflowing water. Yet, in Greek Mythology, Aquarius is aligned with multiple figures, such as Ganymede who worked as a cup carrier for the gods, and Cecrops I, who is said to have sacrificed water to the gods instead of the traditional wine.
We have known about the Aquarius constellation for some time. In fact, it was recorded in the 2nd century by an influential Greek astronomer and mathematician by the name of Claudius Ptolemy. During this period, only 48 constellations were recorded compared to the 88 recognised constellations by the International Astronomical Union IAU today. Yet, there is evidence to suggest that Ptolemy was not the first to know about Aquarius and we may have identified the constellation long before.
Constellations are created by joining the dots between certain stars. For most people, joining the dots is not enough for them to see the images that a constellation is supposed to represent. When you see the image of Aquarius just below, you probably would not see a young male pouring water out of a vase-like jug.
The depiction is taken further so that the water pours into the mouth of a fish. This larger image is made possible by using the star constellation below, namely Pisces which depicts said fish.
The Aquarius constellation is not known to be a particularly bright constellation. However, one of its stars is exceptionally rare.
Because TRAPPIST-1 is about 8 percent the size of the sun, this means that its habitable zone is much closer to the star; in other words, the planets need to huddle close for liquid water to flow on their surfaces. The seven worlds discovered so far all orbit closer to their parent star than Mercury orbits the sun in our own solar system.
Astronomers are using TRAPPIST-1 as a springboard to better understand the proliferation of Earth-sized, rocky planets across the universe, coupled with observations from other telescopes such as Kepler — a prolific planet-hunting telescope that has found thousands of exoplanets since its launch in In astrology, which is not a science , Aquarius is the 11th sign in the Zodiac and represents those born between Jan. The Greeks linked this constellation with Ganymede, the cup bearer to the gods.
According to lore, Ganymede was a good-looking young man who was the object of Zeus' affection and was brought to Mount Olympus, where he served as cup bearer to the gods and was granted eternal youth. Aquarius has also has various meanings and associations in other cultures. In this article, we will help you figure out how to find one of the most elusive constellations: Aquarius , also known as the water-bearer.
From mid-February to mid-March, Aquarius is directly positioned behind the Sun, making it impossible to observe it during those weeks. When the Sun is the zodiac sign of Aquarius, from January 20 to February 19, the constellation can be really hard to locate and it might not be visible at all in some locations. On the other hand, if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, in Australia, New Zealand, or Argentina, Aquarius will be found either in the Northern sky, or directly overhead, depending on the month of the year.
Here comes the tricky part. As I mentioned earlier, this is one of the hardest constellations to find with the naked eye because of its lack of recognizable features, but here are some tips and instructions that will help. Thankfully, there are a few factors we can use to our advantage. Good sky conditions are going to be key in our quest to find the location of this star group.
As you might know, the city lights create and effect called light pollution, that dims the visibility of certain stars in the sky. A cloudy sky, is also not a good friend of astronomers. When you are trying to star gaze, dark skies, and clear weather will give you the best chance to have a great experience.
The ecliptic is the imaginary line the Sun passes by throughout during the course of a year. It is in this path that the zodiac constellations can be found. This is of great help when you are trying to locate any of the harder to find constellations as you can simply trace it in your mind to help you get a better idea of where any of these 12 constellations should be positioned.
It is a binary star, believed to consist of a white dwarf and a Mira -type variable red giant. The nebula is known as Cederblad The primary star is an orange giant with an apparent magnitude of 4. The companion is another binary star, composed of two magnitude 10 stars. The planet orbiting the primary is called 91 Aquarii b or HD b. It orbits the star at the average distance of Gliese is a red dwarf, 29 light years distant.
The star has a Jupiter-like planet, Gliese b, orbiting it at a distance of 2. The planet was discovered in August It was the first long-period Jupiter-like planet discovered orbiting a red dwarf.
Gliese is another red dwarf, only about 15 light years distant. The star is very faint, though, and with an apparent magnitude of In , it has been confirmed that Gliese has four extrasolar planets in its orbit. The planet closest to the star is believed to be either a small Neptune-like planet or a large terrestrial one.
The middle planets are similar to Jupiter. The outer planet is close to Uranus in terms of mass. It has an apparent magnitude of 3. The star in an M-type red giant, about light years away. It is an irregular variable star with a mean apparent magnitude of 3.
It is a white subgiant and a suspected variable. M2 is a globular cluster located five degrees north of Sadalsuud Beta Aquarii.
It is 13 billion years old and contains about , stars, including 21 known variables. With a diameter spanning light years, it is one of the largest globular clusters known.
M2 is approximately 37, light years distant and has an apparent magnitude of 6. The brightest stars in the cluster, mostly red and yellow giants, have a magnitude of Charles Messier discovered the cluster in , but believed it to be a nebula. German astronomer William Herschel was the first to resolve the stars in the cluster in Messier 72 is also a globular cluster, approximately 53, light years distant. It lies well beyond the Galactic Centre.
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