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Libra: Difference between revisions
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[[Libra]] is a constellation of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for weighing scales, and its symbol is (Unicode ♎). It is fairly faint, with no first magnitude stars, and lies between Virgo to the west and Scorpius to the east. | |||
Libra is home to the star Gliese 581, which has a planetary system consisting of at least 6 planets. Both Gliese 581 d, and Gliese 581 g are debatably the most promising candidates for life, although Gliese 581 g's existences has been disputed and has not been entirely confirmed or agreed on in the scientific community.Gliese 581 c is considered to be the first Earth-like extrasolar planet to be found within its parent star's habitable zone. Gliese 581 e is possibly the smallest massexoplanet orbiting a normal star found to date All of these exoplanets are of significance for establishing the likelihood of life outside of the Solar System | |||
Libra was known in Babylonian astronomy as MUL Zibanu (the "scales" or "balance"), or alternatively as the Claws of the Scorpion. The scales were held sacred to the sun god Shamash, who was also the patron of truth and justice.[7] It was also seen as the Scorpion's Claws in ancient Greece.Since these times, Libra has been associated with law, fairness and civility. In Arabic zubānā means "scorpion's claws", and likely similarly in other Semitic languages: this resemblance of words may be why the Scorpion's claws became the Scales.It has also been suggested that the scales are an allusion to the fact that when the sun entered this part of theecliptic at the autumnal equinox, the days and nights are equal.Libra's status as the location of the equinox earned the equinox the name "First Point of Libra", though its position ended in 730 because of the precession of the equinoxes. | |||
Libra is a constellation not mentioned by Eudoxus or Aratus.[8] In Roman mythology, Libra is considered to depict the scales held by Astraea (identified as Virgo), the goddess of justice. Libra is mentioned by Manetho (3rd century B.C.) and Geminus (1st century B.C.), and included by Ptolemy in his 48 asterisms. Ptolemy catalogued 17 stars,Tycho Brahe 10, and Johannes Hevelius 20. It only became a constellation in ancient Rome, when it began to represent the scales held by Astraea, associated with Virgo. | |||
Libra is the only zodiac sign that does not symbolize a living creature. | |||
<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libra_%28constellation%29 Libra constellation]</ref> | |||
==Legend== | ==Legend== | ||