Aquarius

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This article is about the constellation. For other meanings see Aquarius (disambiguation)

Aquarius
Aquarius constellation
Abbreviation	Aqr
Genitive	Aquarii
Meaning in English	the Water-bearer
Right ascension	23 h
Declination	−15°
Visible to latitude	Between 65° and −90°
Best visible	October
Area  - Total	Ranked 10th 980 sq. deg.
Number of stars with apparent magnitude < 3	2
Brightest star  - Apparent magnitude	Sadalsud (β Aqr) 2.9
Meteor showers	March Aquarids Eta Aquarids (May 4) Delta Aquarids (June 28) Iota Aquarids
Bordering constellations	Pisces Pegasus Equuleus Delphinus Aquila Capricornus Piscis Austrinus Sculptor Cetus

Aquarius, the water bearer, is one of the oldest recognized constellations along the zodiac, the sun's apparent path. It is found in a region often called the Sea due to its profusion of watery constellations such as Cetus, Pisces, Eridanus, etc. Sometimes, the river Eridanus is depicted spilling from Aquarius' watering pot.

Notable features

Some principal stars in Aquarius include:

• α Aquarii, Sadalmelik ("lucky one of the king"), found nearly on the celestial equator;
• β Aquarii, Sadalsud ("luckiest of the lucky");
• γ Aquarii, Sadachbia ("lucky star of hidden things");

• δ Aquarii, Skat or Scheat ("shin").

The stars γ, ζ, η, and π Aquarii compose an asterism called the Urn, representing Aquarius' watering pot.

Two meteor showers originate in Aquarius: the Eta Aquarids (near May 4) and the Delta Aquarids (near June 28), both providing about 20 meteorites per hour.

Notable deep sky objects

There are three deep sky objects which is on the Messier catalog, the Globular Cluster M2, Globular Cluster M72, and the Open Cluster M73.

Two planetary nebulae are found in Aquarius: NGC 7009, called the Saturn Nebula due to its resemblance to the planet, to the southeast of η Aquarii; and NGC 7293, the famous Helix Nebula, southwest of δ Aquarii.

History

The constellation was immortalized in the 1960s, proclaimed the Age of Aquarius. However, there is no standard definition for astrological ages, so the age of Aquarius could begin in 2150 or even 2660, depending on the preferred definition.

Mythology

Aquarius has been variously identified through the ages. The best-known myth identifies Aquarius with Ganymede, a beautiful boy with whom Zeus fell in love, and whom he carried off to Olympus to be cupbearer to the gods. Crater is sometimes identified as his cup.

Astrology

The Western astrological sign Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) is associated with the constellation. In some cosmologies, Aquarius is associated with the classical element Air, and thus called an Air Sign (with Libra and Gemini). It is also one of the four Fixed signs (along with Leo, Scorpio, and Taurus). Its polar opposite is Leo. Its ruling planet is Uranus (prior to Uranus' discovery Saturn was considered Aquarius' ruling planet). Each astrological sign is assigned a part of the body, viewed as the seat of its power. Aquarius rules the circulatory system as well as the ankles. The symbol for Aquarius is the water bearer. Aquarian qualities include an ability to see the big picture, a casual friendly nature, mental acuity (even brilliance), and inventiveness.

ca:Aquari (constel·lació) de:Wassermann (Sternbild) es:Acuario (constelación) fr:Verseau (constellation) it:Acquario (astronomia) nl:Aquarius ja:みずがめ座 pl:Wodnik (gwiazdozbiór) pt:Aquarius zh:寶瓶座