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Sagittarius: Difference between revisions
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[[Sagittarius]] is one of the constellations of the zodiac. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its name is Latin for the archer, and its symbol is (Unicode U+2650 ♐), a stylized arrow. Sagittarius is commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow. It lies between [[Scorpius]] and [[Ophiuchus]] to the west and [[Capricornus]] to the east. | [[Sagittarius]] is one of the constellations of the zodiac. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its name is Latin for the archer, and its symbol is (Unicode U+2650 ♐), a stylized arrow. Sagittarius is commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow. It lies between [[Scorpius]] and [[Ophiuchus]] to the west and [[Capricornus]] to the east. | ||
As seen from the northern hemisphere, the constellation's brighter stars form an easily recognizable asterism known as 'the Teapot'. The stars δ Sgr (Kaus Media), ε Sgr (Kaus Australis), ζ Sgr (Ascella), and φ Sgr (Nanto) form the body of the pot; λ Sgr (Kaus Borealis) is the point of the lid; γ2 Sgr (Alnasl) is the tip of the spout; and σ Sgr(Nunki) and τ Sgr (the closest bright star to the possible origin of the Wow! signal) the handle. | |||
The Milky Way is at its densest near Sagittarius, as this is where the galactic center lies. Consequently, Sagittarius contains many star clusters and nebulae.Sagittarius contains several well-known nebulae, including the Lagoon Nebula ([[Messier 8]]), near λ Sagittarii; the Omega Nebula ([[Messier 17]]), also known as the Horseshoe Nebula or Swan Nebula, near the border with [[Scutum]]; and the Trifid Nebula ([[Messier 20]]), a large nebula containing some very young, hot stars. <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_%28constellation%29 Sagittarius]] | |||
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A competing mythological tradition, as espoused by Eratosthenes, identified the Archer not as a centaur but as the satyr Crotus, son of Pan, who Greeks credited with the invention of archery.According to myth, Crotus often went hunting on horseback and lived among the Muses, who requested that Zeus place him in the sky, where he is seen demonstrating archery. | A competing mythological tradition, as espoused by Eratosthenes, identified the Archer not as a centaur but as the satyr Crotus, son of Pan, who Greeks credited with the invention of archery.According to myth, Crotus often went hunting on horseback and lived among the Muses, who requested that Zeus place him in the sky, where he is seen demonstrating archery. | ||
The arrow of this constellation points towards the star Antares, the "heart of the scorpion," and Sagittarius stands poised to attack should Scorpius ever attack the nearby Hercules, or to avenge Scorpius's slaying of Orion | |||
The arrow of this constellation points towards the star Antares, the "heart of the scorpion," and Sagittarius stands poised to attack should Scorpius ever attack the nearby Hercules, or to avenge Scorpius's slaying of Orion.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_%28constellation%29 Sagittarius]] | |||
==HGS Session References== | ==HGS Session References== | ||