Sagittarius, named after the legendary centaur, is one of the 88 constellations in the sky, known as one of the largest and brightest constellations. It’s also one of the oldest and most famous constellations in history, first appearing in the ancient Babylonian star catalogues and has been represented as an archer ever since! Here are some interesting facts about Sagittarius constellation you may not know!
The Mythology Behind The Archer
In Greek mythology, Sagittarius was said to be a centaur (half man and half horse) who was hunting with his bow and arrows. One day he saw four other centaurs trying to kidnap a woman. He saved her by shooting an arrow in the sky which caused it to rain down on them. The gods were so impressed that they turned him into an archer constellation. Centaurs are typically shown with bows and arrows because of this story. It’s no surprise that the name for this constellation comes from a greek word meaning archer. And since Sagittarius is represented by two people, one being a horse and one being human, some people say that it’s appropriate because the symbol is shaped like an arrow.
There are twelve different stars located within this constellation’s boundaries. They range in brightness from third magnitude to sixth magnitude making them very easy to find once you know where to look.
The Constellation’s Location In The Sky
The constellation Sagittarius can be seen in the southern sky during summer evenings. It’s not too hard to find because it’s right next to Scorpius, which also has a shape that looks like an upside-down letter J. To see Sagittarius more clearly, you’ll need to look for a teapot with its spout pointing at Antares. There are 13 stars in the constellation, and they’re arranged in such a way that they look like an archer drawing back on his bowstring.
Sagittarius was one of many constellations listed by Ptolemy and seems to have been named after ancient Assyrians who were known for their skill with archery.
The brightest star in this constellation is called Rasalhague and it comes from Arabic meaning head of the lion. The second brightest star is Al Nasl (the nose) and it appears on the very tip of the arrow held by the archer. Muhlifain (the string) marks where the arrow meets the target – which for Sagittarius would be Corvus. Just below Muhlifain, we find Al Jabhah (the hand), Al Kaffeeyeen (the two hands) and finally Rukbah (the calf).
About The Individual Stars In Sagittarius
Now that we know the name of the constellation, let’s talk about some of the stars. One star in this constellation is called Kaus Borealis. This star has a magnitude that ranges from 3.7 to 4.2 and it can be found near the bottom right corner. Another star in this constellation is also called Kaus Borealis; but it has a magnitude that ranges from 4 to 5 and it can be found near the top left corner. The brightest star in Sagittarius is called Alpha Sgr. It has a magnitude of 1.9 and it can be found near the top right corner. The next brightest star is Epsilon Sgr with a magnitude ranging from 2 to 2.3 and it can be found at the bottom left side. Finally, Zeta Sgr shines bright with an apparent magnitude of 2.5-3 and it can be seen on the bottom middle side.
How To Spot It From Earth
Sagittarius can be found along the Milky Way in the summer sky. The best way to find it is to look for Scorpius on one side and Capricornus on the other. Use these constellations to trace an imaginary line through them– this will point you in the right direction. Once you find Sagittarius, it’s easy to spot: just follow the teapot that makes up its body. It contains two bright stars, called Kaus Australis and Kaus Borealis, which are called the guardians of the Milky Way. Follow them down to see a group of three stars that form a triangle. One star in this triangle (Kaus Media) marks the tip of his bow; from there it’s easier to see where he holds his arrow with his hand drawn back behind him ready to shoot. Then you’ll notice Alnasl (meaning the nozzle or the wing), the brightest star in Sagittarius, which forms the handle of the teapot. Next we have another bright star in the constellation—one often used by navigators at sea—called Tau Saggitarii, or Tau Saggitare (The Arrow). And last but not least, Saiph (The Bow) is formed by four very faint stars that make up this ancient sign.
How To Photograph The Constellation
The best time to photograph Sagittarius is at night in winter when it’s high in the sky. Point your camera to the spot where you see three stars lined up vertically with one star on top and two stars below. There you’ll find a bright red nebula that looks like a teapot. To get this shot, take out your camera and set it to manual mode. Then adjust the aperture, shutter speed, ISO speed, white balance, and focus until everything is perfectly clear. Adjust those settings to make sure that the brightness is not too high or too low. And there you have it! Now you know how to shoot a great picture of Sagittarius. Just be careful not to bump into any rocks on the way back from taking your photo, otherwise we’ll never hear from you again!
How To Name Other Celestial Objects
Sagittarius is one of the 48 constellations in space. The word Sagittarius means the archer. As a constellation, it represents a centaur with a bow and arrow. Sagittarius has two stars that are easily spotted by the naked eye. A famous star in this constellation is called Alpha Centauri and it has its own solar system. It is the nearest star to Earth other than our sun. Its position relative to Earth determines which season we are in: if it appears above the southern horizon at night, summer is here; when it’s below the horizon and closer to autumn, winter will soon be coming around again.
