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Aquila: Difference between revisions
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[[File:375px-Aquila IAU.svg.png|thumb|Aquila]] | |||
Aquila is a constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and it represents the bird who carried Zeus/Jupiter's thunderbolts in Greco-Roman mythology.Aquila lies just a few degrees North of the celestial equator. The alpha star, Altair, is a vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism. The constellation is best seen in the summer as it is located along the Milky Way. Because of this location along the line of our galaxy, many clusters and nebulae are found within its borders, but they are dim and there are few galaxies. | Aquila is a constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and it represents the bird who carried Zeus/Jupiter's thunderbolts in Greco-Roman mythology.Aquila lies just a few degrees North of the celestial equator. The alpha star, Altair, is a vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism. The constellation is best seen in the summer as it is located along the Milky Way. Because of this location along the line of our galaxy, many clusters and nebulae are found within its borders, but they are dim and there are few galaxies. | ||
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Ptolemy catalogued nineteen stars jointly in this constellation and in the now obsolete constellation of Antinous, which was named in the reign of the emperor Hadrian (AD 117–138), but sometimes erroneously attributed to Tycho Brahe, who catalogued twelve stars in Aquila and seven in Antinous.Hevelius determined twenty-three stars in the first[3] and nineteen in the second.[ | Ptolemy catalogued nineteen stars jointly in this constellation and in the now obsolete constellation of Antinous, which was named in the reign of the emperor Hadrian (AD 117–138), but sometimes erroneously attributed to Tycho Brahe, who catalogued twelve stars in Aquila and seven in Antinous.Hevelius determined twenty-three stars in the first[3] and nineteen in the second.[ | ||
The Greek Aquila is probably based on the Babylonian constellation of the Eagle (MUL.A.MUSHEN), which is located in the same area as the Greek constellation. | The Greek Aquila is probably based on the Babylonian constellation of the Eagle (MUL.A.MUSHEN), which is located in the same area as the Greek constellation. | ||
==Mythology== | |||
[[File:Sidney Hall - Urania's Mirror - Delphinus, Sagitta, Aquila, and Antinous.jpg|thumb| Urania's Mirror - Delphinus, Sagitta, Aquila, and Antinous.jpg]] | |||
According to Gavin White, the Babylonian Eagle carried the constellation called the Dead Man (LU.USH) in its talons. The author also draws a comparison to the Classical stories of Antinous and Ganymede.[ | |||
In classical Greek mythology, Aquila was identified as Αετός Δίας (Aetos Dios), the eagle that carried the thunderbolts of Zeus and was sent by him to carry the shepherd boy Ganymede, whom he desired, to Mount Olympus; the constellation of Aquariusis sometimes identified with Ganymede. | |||
In the Chinese love story of Qi Xi, Niu Lang (Altair) and his two children (β and γ Aquilae) are separated forever from their wife and mother Zhi Nu (Vega) who is on the far side of the river, the Milky Way.[ | |||
In Hinduism, the constellation Aquila is identified with the half-eagle half-human deity Garuda.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquila_%28constellation%29 Aquila]</ref> | |||
==Deep Sky Objects== | ==Deep Sky Objects== | ||
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* NGC 6772: planetary nebula | * NGC 6772: planetary nebula | ||
* Aquila also holds some extragalactic objects. One of them is what may be the largest single mass concentration of galaxies in the Universe known, the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall. It was discovered in November 2013 and has the size of 10 billion light years. It is the biggest and the most massive structure in the Universe known. | * Aquila also holds some extragalactic objects. One of them is what may be the largest single mass concentration of galaxies in the Universe known, the Hercules–Corona Borealis Great Wall. It was discovered in November 2013 and has the size of 10 billion light years. It is the biggest and the most massive structure in the Universe known.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquila_%28constellation%29 Aquila]</ref> | ||
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==HGS Session References== | ==HGS Session References== | ||
HGS Sessions - Clearing [[] - | HGS Sessions - Clearing [[San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, 55 Reversal Grid]] - 3/31/2015 <ref>HGS Session</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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<references/> | <references/> | ||
==See Also== | |||
[[Treaty of Altair]] | |||