What is the constellation Aquarius?
Aquarius (Aquarius) is one of the constellations known since ancient times, it belongs to the zodiac, the circle through which the sun apparently runs. It is in a region sometimes called the sea because of the profusion of constellations related to water: Cetus, Pisces, Eridanus, etc. The River Eridanus is sometimes described as flowing out of the water boat of Aquarius.
Although the Sun enters the zodiacal constellation of Aquarius on February 16 and rises on March 11, according to traditional astrology beliefs, Aquarius corresponds to the astrological sign of the same name that begins on January 20 and ends on February 18. .
Characteristics
Aquarius is a fairly large constellation (the 10th in the sky), but it only has a few moderately bright stars. Some remarkable planetary nebulae are found. The stars Sadalachbiah (γ Aqr), ζ Aqr, η Aqr, and π Aqr form an asterism called the Urn, which would be the jug from which the waters of the constellation pour.
main stars
The main stars of Aquarius are the following:
Sadalsud (β Aquarii)
The brightest star in the Aquarius constellation is Sadalsud (β Aquarii), with only a magnitude of 2.9. It is a red supergiant and its weak relative burst comes from its distance; 612 light-years.
Its name comes from Arabic and means «the most sorted.» This “sortade” star designation is shared by two more stars in the constellation: Sadalmelik and Sadalachbiah.
Sadalmelik (α Aquarii)
The lucky star of the king, which is located almost exactly on the celestial equator.
Sadalachbiah (γ Aquarii)
Lucky star of hidden things.
Albala (ε Aqr)
Width (θ Aqr)
Situla (κ Aqr)
A double star.
R Aquarii
It is a Mira type variable, which evolves with 385 days between magnitudes 5.4 and 9.59. It is also a symbiotic star, its companion is a white dwarf that gradually takes away entire parts of its crust.
Aquarius celestial objects
In Aquarius we can find two planetary nebulae: NGC 7009, the so-called Saturn nebula due to its shape similar to that of the planet, and in the southeast of η Aquarii; and NGC 7293, the famous Helix Nebula, in southwest δ Aquarii.
We can also find the globular clusters M2 and M72. There is also M73, traditionally classified as an open cluster, but which would actually be composed of stars without any connection between them. There are two meteorite radiating points in the Aquarius region: the Eta Aquarids (around May 4) and the Delta Aquarids (around June 28), with both adding up to about 20 meteorites per hour.
Illustrations
Aquarius pours water from the jug into the mouth of the southern fish, as shown in Urania s Mirror, a set of constellation illustrations published in London circa 1825
In the illustrations, the brightest stars in Aquarius are represented as the figure of a man, while the faintest stars to the naked eye are represented as a vessel from which a stream of water is poured. Water flows south into the mouth of the southern fish, Piscis Austrinus.
Aquarius History
Like the other constellations of the Zodiac, Aquarius is very old. It seems that it was called Daul by the Chaldeans.
Aquarius has been identified with different characters over time; The best-known mythology wants him to be Ganymede, a charming boy with whom Zeus fell in love. He took him to Mount Olympus to serve as cupbearer to the gods; the Crater (the Cup) is sometimes identified as his.
During the 1960s the Age of Aquarius was proclaimed, although there appears to be no definition for astrological ages, and the Age of Aquarius could begin either in 2150 or 2660, depending on the preferred definition. .