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Sgr
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Sagittarii
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the Archer
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19
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&minus25
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867
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15th
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7
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ε Sgr (Kaus Australis)
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19
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Capricornus" class="copylinks">Capricornus
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55
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90
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August
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(
Latin for ''
Archer '', symbol ,
Unicode ♐) is a
Constellation of the
Zodiac , commonly depicted as a
Centaur drawing a bow. Sagittarius lies between
Scorpius to the west and
Capricornus to the east.
The constellation's brighter stars (from left to right on the map: τ, ζ, σ, φ, λ, ε, δ, η and γ
2 Sagittarii) form an easily recognizable
Asterism called the . The'''
Milk Dipper ''' is part of the Teapot. The stars
δ Sgr (Kaus Media),
ε Sgr (Kaus Australis),
ζ Sgr (Ascella), and
φ Sgr form the body of the pot;
λ Sgr (Kaus Borealis) is the point of the lid;
γ2 (Alnasl) is the tip of the spout; and
σ Sgr (Nunki) and
τ Sgr the handle.
[http://www.flandrau.org/astronomy/skywatchers/picupclose.php?picid=89
α Sgr (Rukbat) isn't the brightest star of the constellation, having a magnitude of only 3.96. (It is not shown on the map as it is located below the map's southwestern corner, north is up)
The
Milky Way as seen from the
Earth is at its densest as it passes through Sagittarius, as this is where the
Galactic Center lies. Consequently, Sagittarius contains many star clusters and nebulae. One of the brightest of the star clusters is
M55 , about 7.5° west of δ Sgr.
The constellation contains nebulae such as the
Lagoon Nebula (M8) , near λ Sagittarii, beautiful in telescopes; the
Omega, Swan, Or Horseshoe Nebula (M17) , near the border with
Scutum ; and the
Trifid Nebula (M20) , a large nebula containing some very young, hot stars.
The
Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy is located just outside the
Milky Way .
Sagittarius has the rough appearance of a stick-figure archer drawing its bow, and when including the fainter stars, appears to have a horse-like body
{Link without Title} . The Greeks identified such a figure as a
Centaur , whereas earlier cultures, such as the Babylonians, identified it as the god
Pabilsag (which also had wings and a lion's head).
In
Greek Mythology , Sagittarius was sometimes identified as
Chiron , aiming his bow at the
Scorpion , although the more usual identification of Chiron was with the constellation
Centaurus . The constellation
Sagitta was sometimes considered to be an arrow fired by Sagittarius.
Other early identifications include that of a rattle, which the constellation's brightest stars considered together vaguely resemble. As such, together with other constellations in the
Zodiac sign of Sagittarius (specifically,
Cygnus ,
Lyra , and
Aquila ), may be a significant part of the origin of the myth of the
Stymphalian Birds , one of
The Twelve Labours of
Herakles .
The Western
Astrological Sign Sagittarius of the
Tropical Zodiac (
November 23 -
December 22 ) differs from the astronomical constellation and the Hindu astrological sign of the
Sidereal Zodiac (
December 18 -
January 18 ).
Source:
The Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed.,
The Hipparcos Catalogue, ESA SP-1200
