( of the
Zodiac , commonly depicted as a
Centaur drawing a bow. Sagittarius lies between
Ophiuchus 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 can be imagined as the steam rising from the spout.
α Sgr (Rukbat) is not the brightest star of the constellation, having a magnitude of only 3.96 (not shown on the main map as it is located below the map's southeastern 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
Messier 55 , about 7.5° west of δ Sgr.
The constellation contains nebulae such as the
Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8), near λ Sagittarii, beautiful in telescopes; the
Omega Nebula (Messier 17), also known as the Swan or Horseshoe Nebula, near the border with
Scutum ; and the
Trifid Nebula (Messier 20), a large nebula containing some very young, hot stars. The grouping of Lagoon Nebula, Trifid Nebula, and
NGC 6559 is often called the ''Sagittarius triplet''.
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.http://borghetto.astrofili.org/costellazioni/sagittarius.JPG Sometimes it is called the 'Teapot' as it looks like one. 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 .
See Also: Sagittarius (astrology)
The Western
Astrological Sign Sagittarius of the
Tropical Zodiac (
November 22 –
December 21 ) differs from the astronomical constellation and the Hindu astrological sign of the
Sidereal Zodiac (
December 18 –
January 18 ).
