Sagittarius

Encyclopedia : S : SA : SAG : Sagittarius

Sagittarius
click for larger image
Abbreviation	Sgr
Genitive	Sagittarii
Symbology	the Archer
Right ascension	19 h
Declination	−25°
Area	List of constellations by area>Ranked 15th
Number of stars (magnitude < 3)	7
Brightest star	ε Sgr (Kaus Australis) (Apparent magnitude>App. magnitude 1.9)
Meteor showers
Bordering constellations	Aquila Scutum Serpens Cauda Ophiuchus Scorpius Corona Australis Telescopium Indus (corner) Microscopium Capricornus
Visible at latitudes between +55° and −90° Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of August
For the astrological sign, see Sagittarius. Sagittarius (Latin for Archer, symbol , Unicode ♐) is a constellation of the zodiac, commonly depicted as a centaur drawing a bow. Sagittarius lies between Scorpius to the west and Capricornus to the east. Contents 1 Notable features 2 Notable deep-sky objects 3 Mythology 3.1 Astrology 4 Notable and named stars 5 External links Notable features The constellation's brighter stars (from left to right on the map: τ, ζ, σ, φ, λ, ε, δ, η and γ2 Sagittarii) form an easily recognizable asterism called the Teapot. The Milk Dipper is part of the Teapot. The stars δ Sgr (Kaus Media), ε Sgr (Kaus Australis), ζ Sgr (Ascella), and φ Sgr form the body of the pot; λ Sgr (Kaus Borealis) is the point of the lid; γ2 (Alnasl) is the tip of the spout; and σ Sgr (Nunki) and τ Sgr the handle. [link] [link] α Sgr (Rukbat) isn't the brightest star of the constellation, having a magnitude of only 3.96 (not shown on the map as it is located below the map's southwestern corner, north is up). Notable deep-sky objects The Milky Way as seen from the earth is at its densest as it passes through Sagittarius, as this is where the galactic center lies. Consequently, Sagittarius contains many star clusters and nebulae. One of the brightest of the star clusters is M55, about 7.5° west of δ Sgr. The constellation contains nebulae such as the Lagoon Nebula (M8), near λ Sagittarii, beautiful in telescopes; the Omega, Swan, or Horseshoe Nebula (M17), near the border with Scutum; and the Trifid Nebula (M20), a large nebula containing some very young, hot stars. The complex radio source Sagittarius A is also here. Astronomers believe that one of its components, known as Sagittarius A*, is associated with a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. The Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy is located just outside the Milky Way. Mythology Sagittarius has the rough appearance of a stick-figure archer drawing its bow, and when including the fainter stars, appears to have a horse-like body [link]. The Greeks identified such a figure as a centaur, whereas earlier cultures, such as the Babylonians, identified it as the god Pabilsag (which also had wings and a lion's head). In Greek mythology, Sagittarius was sometimes identified as Chiron, aiming his bow at the Scorpion, although the more usual identification of Chiron was with the constellation Centaurus. The constellation Sagitta was sometimes considered to be an arrow fired by Sagittarius. Other early identifications include that of a rattle, which the constellation's brightest stars considered together vaguely resemble. As such, together with other constellations in the Zodiac sign of Sagittarius (specifically, Cygnus, Lyra, and Aquila), may be a significant part of the origin of the myth of the Stymphalian Birds, one of The Twelve Labours of Herakles. Astrology Main article: Sagittarius (astrology) The Western astrological sign Sagittarius of the tropical zodiac (November 22 - December 21) differs from the astronomical constellation and the Hindu astrological sign of the sidereal zodiac (December 18 - January 18). Notable and named stars BD F Star Names and other designations Mag. Ly away Comments ε 20 Epsilon Sagittarii, Kaus Australis 1.79 145 قوس qaws bow + austrālis southern σ 34 Sigma Sagittarii, Nunki, Sadira, Pelag 2.05 224 ζ 38 Zeta Sagittarii, Ascella 2.60 89 ascella armpit δ 19 Delta Sagittarii, Kaus Media, Kaus Meridionalis, Kaus Medius, Media 2.72 306 قوس qaws bow + media middle λ 22 Lambda Sagittarii, Kaus Borealis 2.82 77 قوس qaws bow + boreālis northern π 41 Pi Sagittarii, Albaldah, Al Baldah 2.88 440 البلطة al-balţah the axe γ2 10 Gamma-2 Sagittarii, Alnasl, Nasl, El Nasl, Nash, Alwazl, Nushaba, Zujj al Nushshaba 2.98 96 النصل an-naşl the arrowhead η Eta Sagittarii 3.10 149 Irregular variable φ 27 Phi Sagittarii 3.17 231 τ 40 Tau Sagittarii 3.32 120 ξ2 37 Xi-2 Sagittarii 3.52 372 ο 39 Omicron Sagittarii, Manubrij 3.76 139 μ 13 Mu Sagittarii, Polis 3.84 8150 five star system ρ1 44 Rho-1 Sagittarii 3.92 122 β1 Beta-1 Sagittarii, Arkab Prior 3.96 378 عرقوب carqūb hamstring + prior α Alpha Sagittarii, Rukbat, Rucba, Rukbat al Rami, Alrami 3.96 170 ركبة الرامي rukbat[u] ar-rāmī knee of the archer/bowman ι Iota Sagittarii 4.12 β2 Beta-2 Sagittarii, Arkab Posterior 4.27 عرقوب carqūb hamstring + posterior θ1 Theta-1 Sagittarii 4.37 c 62 Terebellum, 62 Sagittarii, HR 7650, HD 189763 4.43 Irregular variable υ 46 Upsilon Sagittarii 4.52 the prototypical hydrogen-deficient binary b1 59 Terebellum, 59 Sagittarii, HR 7604, HD 188603 4.52 3 X Sagittarii 4.53 A Cepheid variable h2 52 52 Sagittarii 4.59 ω 58 Terebellum, Omega Sagittarii, HR 7597, HD 188376 4.74 4 4 Sagittarii 4.74 γ1 Gamma-1 Sagittarii, W Sagittarii 4.79 1500 A Cepheid variable 21 21 Sagittarii 4.81 A 60 Terebellum, 60 Sagittarii, HR 7618, HD 189005 4.84 ν1 32 Nu-1 Sagittarii, Ain al Rami, Facies 4.86 عين الرامي cain ar-rāmī eye of the archer ψ 42 Psi Sagittarii 4.86 f 56 56 Sagittarii 4.87 d 43 43 Sagittarii 4.88 11 11 Sagittarii 4.96 ν2 35 Nu-2 Sagittarii 5.00 g 61 61 Sagittarii 5.01 ξ1 36 Xi-1 Sagittarii 5.02 χ1 47 Chi-1 Sagittarii 5.02 e2 55 55 Sagittarii 5.06 29 29 Sagittarii 5.22 15 15 Sagittarii 5.29 θ2 Theta-2 Sagittarii 5.30 e1 54 54 Sagittarii 5.30 7 7 Sagittarii 5.37 28 28 Sagittarii 5.37 χ3 49 Chi-3 Sagittarii 5.45 14 14 Sagittarii 5.49 24 24 Sagittarii 5.49 50 50 Sagittarii 5.57 18 18 Sagittarii 5.58 κ1 Kappa-1 Sagittarii 5.60 κ2 Kappa-2 Sagittarii 5.64 h1 51 51 Sagittarii 5.64 33 33 Sagittarii 5.68 63 63 Sagittarii 5.69 ρ2 45 Rho-2 Sagittarii 5.84 57 57 Sagittarii 5.88 9 9 Sagittarii 5.89 HD 169830 5.91 118.5[link] has 2 planets 16 16 Sagittarii 5.96 26 26 Sagittarii 6.22 HD 179949 6.25 88[link] has a planet 6 6 Sagittarii 6.27 30 30 Sagittarii 6.29 53 53 Sagittarii 6.33 25 25 Sagittarii 6.53 65 65 Sagittarii 6.53 17 17 Sagittarii 6.89 χ2 48 Chi-2 Sagittarii 7.26 Ross 154 10.46 9.56 nearby Gliese 783 5.31 19.7 nearby OGLE-TR-10 14.93 5000[link] has a planet S2 orbits Sgr A* black hole Pistol Star hypergiant Source: The Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed., The Hipparcos Catalogue, ESA SP-1200 Astronomy | Constellations of the Zodiac | Astrology Aries ( ) | Taurus ( ) | Gemini ( ) | Cancer ( ) | Leo ( ) | Virgo ( ) | Libra ( ) | Scorpius/Scorpio ( ) | Ophiuchus | Sagittarius ( ) | Capricornus/Capricorn ( ) | Aquarius ( ) | Pisces ( ) Constellations changed by Johann Bayer in the 1603 text Uranometria Centaurus | split into | Centaurus | Crux Leo | split into | Leo | Coma Berenices Piscis Austrinus | split into | Piscis Austrinus | Grus Sagittarius | split into | Sagittarius | Corona Australis Constellations changed by Lacaille in 1763 Argo Navis split into Carina | Puppis | Vela Eridanus split into Eridanus | Fornax Sagittarius | Corona Australis altered to create Telescopium Centaurus | Lupus altered to create Circinus External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: [Special] [The Deep Photographic Guide to the Constellations: Sagittarius]   From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details. Search Titles 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ? E-mail this article to: Personal Message: