The constellation Sagittarius is located between Scorpio and Capricorn. It is interesting because it contains the center of the Galaxy. Also in this large point Sagittarius is located includes many stars. Some of them are quite bright. This constellation occupies a large area in the night sky. Many myths and legends are associated with it. At school, constellations are studied as part of the course "Astronomy" (Grade 11). But the curriculum is limited. And lovers of celestial bodies always want to get more knowledge not only about constellations, but also about nebulae and galaxies associated with them.

Constellation Sagittarius

Sagittarius is undoubtedly one of the most amazing and interesting constellations in the night sky. It is in it that the center of our galaxy is located, approximately 30 thousand light years away. It is hidden behind clouds of interstellar dust. Of course, it is impossible to call the stars of the constellation Sagittarius the brightest in the sky, but still some of them reach a visual magnitude of 2.0 and are clearly distinguishable in the sky.

Sagittarius is considered to be the most beautiful part of the Milky Way. Here, even with field glasses, globular clusters and nebulae are visible. The most interesting and, of course, beautiful of them are the Lagoon and Omega nebulae (sometimes called the Cygnus), as well as the recently discovered M20. Scientists have proven that in the constellation Sagittarius there is even, according to astrophysicists, it is located in the center of our Galaxy.

So, it is easy to find the constellation Sagittarius in the sky. Photos taken with the help of powerful telescopes help to discover what is not visible to the naked eye. In the northeastern part of the constellation, good magnification consider a dwarf galaxy. It is located near the Milky Way. The distance to this misty, irregular galaxy is about 1.7 million light-years. By the way, it was discovered back in 1884 by the scientist E. Barnard.

Naturally, all objects in the constellation Sagittarius are located on different distance from the solar system. The closest star, Ros 154, is only 9.69 light years away. And this is relatively close by space standards. So, we can say that this is our neighbor.

Constellation Sagittarius in the sky

This constellation is clearly visible in the night sky. summer time. It appears from the second decade of February, and it can be observed until November. The best conditions for observations are the summer months. Then it disappears. The Sun is in Sagittarius from December 18 to January 18. Highly interesting fact: it was from the side of the constellation Sagittarius on August 15, 1977 that the world-famous signal "Wow!" - presumably from an alien civilization.

Constellation myths

The constellation Sagittarius is associated with two famous centaurs in mythology: Krotos and Chiron. In almost all atlases of the starry sky at all times, it was conveyed by a drawing, which depicted a creature with the torso of a man and the body of a horse. In this form, it was also included in the catalog of Claudius Ptolemy "Almagest".

The most famous Greek myth about the constellation Sagittarius connects it with the wise Chiron, the teacher and mentor of many heroes. It was believed that the celestial globe was invented specifically for the Argonauts' travel. On it, he left a plot for himself. It is easy to guess that this is the constellation Sagittarius, since this centaur shot perfectly from a bow. But the unexpected happened: the cunning Krotos got ahead of him and took his place. Well, Chiron had to be content with the less honorable constellation of Centaurus.

The constellation Sagittarius was included in the "Collection of Svyatoslav" as early as 1073. It was known to the Slavic tribes under its modern name.

Nebula Lagoon

Lot space mysteries guarded by the constellation Sagittarius. Photos taken with the telescope helped to study in detail the Lagoon Nebula, which is located in it. It can rightfully be considered a landmark of the summer sky. For those who like to watch the stars, this nebula may seem like a very interesting object. It can be seen even with binoculars.

The Lagoon Nebula is the cradle of the stars. It is a star-forming collection of cosmic dust. It is oval in shape with a clearly visible center. The nebula contains what makes it one of the most beautiful objects in the summer night sky. It is 5200 light years away from the solar system. Contains globules - dark clouds of prostellar material.

Nebula M20

Of course, not only the stars in the constellations are of interest to astronomy lovers. Very interesting and nebulae. There are several of them in the constellation Sagittarius. But one of the most beautiful is undoubtedly the M20 nebula. This is the most interesting object for observations on a summer night, however, it is visible in telescopes of medium and large apertures.

The first thing that attracts attention is a few stars in the center of the brightest part of the nebula. Then it becomes noticeable that this object is, as it were, “torn apart”. A black hole is visible, dividing the nebula into two parts. This dark area is shaped like a "T". With a good magnification, you can see that the nebula consists of three parts. And next to it is another dimmer object.

Thus, the M20 nebula is represented by three main types of stasis: pink (emissive), black (absorbing), and blue (reflecting).

Alpha Sagittarius

The stars of the constellation Sagittarius are not very bright. This is probably why it is not very popular among lovers of the night sky. The interesting thing about this constellation is that alpha is not the brightest star. But still it is visible and has its own name.

Rukbat is a blue and white star. Her name means "knee" in Arabic. This is the alpha of Sagittarius. From the solar system to the star Rukbat is approximately 71.4 parsecs. In the picture, it is on the front left leg at the knee. From here it got its name. In brightness, alpha Sagittarius is significantly inferior to the star Kaus Australis.

Star Kaus Australis

The brightest star in the constellation is Upsilon Sagittarius. The apparent brilliance of Kaus Australis is 1.79, which corresponds to the brilliance of the stars in the "dipper" of Ursa Major. It is highly visible to the naked eye and easy to spot in the night sky. The secret of such a bright glow was revealed by scientists in the middle of the twentieth century. A detailed study of upsilon Sagittarius revealed that it is a double star.

Kaus Australis is translated as "the southern part of the bow", which reflects its position in the constellation drawing. It is the southernmost and brightest star in the bow of Sagittarius, which consists of three objects. Onions form, in addition to Kaus Australis, two more stars. Astronomy is both an exact and a creative science, therefore, apart from official names, objects in the night sky also have personal names. Lambda and Beta Sagittarius are called Kaus Borealis and Kaus Meridionalis, respectively. Together with the upsilon, they form the "bow".

Triple star in the constellation Sagittarius

There are different stars in the constellation Sagittarius. Astronomy has data on supergiants and dwarfs. But special attention is always paid by astrophysicists to triple stars. They are very rare and therefore of interest. In the constellation Sagittarius there is a triple star - this is Albaldach. It is approximately 508 light-years away from the solar system. It is included in the star catalogs under the designation "pi Sagittarius".

Albaldach is a very bright star. It is clearly visible to the naked eye, so it has been known since ancient times. The name was given to her by Arab astronomers, who drew attention to her even before our era. From ancient Arabic, the word "Albaldakh" is translated as "city". Perhaps they already knew that it was not one, but three stars, which would explain such a name. But no confirmation of this fact was found.

Pi Sagittarius is a system of three stars. The main one is a yellow-white giant. Its surface temperature is approximately 6590 kelvins. It is also interesting that the luminosity of this giant exceeds the solar one by a thousand times. The star is at that stage of evolution when gravity and its internal pressure lose stability. The yellow-white giant begins to expand and contract. Almost nothing is known about the satellites of Albaldach. The nature of these stars has not yet been revealed.

Gamma Sagittarius

The constellation Sagittarius includes many more giant stars. However, not all of them are clearly visible to the naked eye. But not Alnasl. This star is located at a distance of 96 light years from the solar system.

Gamma Sagittarius is clearly visible in the sky on moonless nights. Therefore, it has been known to scientists since ancient times. It is also unique in that it has not one, but two Arabic names. The first is "Alnasl", which translates as "arrowhead". The second name of the star, "Nushbada", oddly enough, has the same meaning.

Physically, Alnasl is an orange giant. Its surface temperature is approximately 4760 kelvins. Whether the star has satellites of the planet, like our Sun, has not been established. So far, no signs of their presence have been found.

The star of Sefdar is this Sagittarius

This is a double star, it is located at a distance from the Sun of approximately 146 light years. This Sagittarius has two names: the Arabic "Sefdar" ("Furious Warrior") and the Latin "Ira Furoris" ("Flaming Fury"). Until 1928, it was part of the constellation Telescope. Later, when the boundaries were revised, it was assigned to Sagittarius.

> Sagittarius

Consider the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius between Scorpio and Capricorn: position on the sky map, facts, myth and legend, stars, asterisms, Sagittarius A*.

Sagittarius - constellation, which is located in the southern sky and belongs to the zodiac group (12 signs of the zodiac), displaying an archer.

Most often it is a centaur with an arrow and a bow. May be associated with the satyr Crotus, who protects the muses on Helikon (mountain).

The constellation Sagittarius is one of the largest southern constellations. It is very easy to find, as it is located in the Milky Way, and the brightest stars create the Kettle asterism. It was first written down in the second century by Ptolemy.

Facts, position and map of the constellation Sagittarius

Sagittarius
Lat. title	Sagittarius
Reduction	Sgr
Symbol	Sagittarius
right ascension	from 17h 36m to 20h 20m
declination	-45° 30' to -12° 2'
Square	867 sq. degrees (15th place)
brightest stars (value< 3 m )	Kaus Australis (ε Sgr) - 1,79m Nunky (σ Sgr) - 2,05m Askella (ζ Sgr) - 2,60m Kaus Meridianalis (δ Sgr) - 2,72m Kaus Borealis (λ Sgr) - 2,82m Albaldach (π Sgr) - 2.88m Alnazl (γ 2 Sgr) - 2,98m
meteor showers	Sagittarids Phi-Sagittarids
neighboring constellations	snake (tail) Ophiuchus Scorpion South Crown Telescope Microscope Capricorn Indian (corner)
The constellation is visible at latitudes from +45° to -90°. The best time for observation is June-July.

Holds 15 Messier objects and 22 stars with planets. The brightest is Epsilon Sagittarius, whose apparent magnitude is 1.79. Meteor showers have not been detected. Included in the Zodiac group, where , , and are also present. Consider the diagram of the constellation Sagittarius on the map of the starry sky.

The myth of the constellation Sagittarius

In myths Ancient Greece the shooter was a centaur (half-man and half-horse). He was depicted aiming at the heart of Scorpio. Sometimes it was mistakenly equated with Chiron (Centaurus). There are also references to the myths of the Sumerians. Erastofen believed that this was a mythical satyr with a tail Crotus. He protected 9 Muses (daughters of Zeus).

Gigin believed that Crotus was the son of Pan and an archer. It was he who invented this type of hunting. The Muses loved him very much, so after his death they asked him to be sent to heaven. In Babylon in Sagittarius they saw the centaur god Nergal. He was depicted with two heads (a man and a panther), as well as wings and a sting of a scorpion, located above the horse's tail.

The main stars of the constellation Sagittarius

Explore bright stars zodiac constellation Sagittarius with a detailed description and characteristics.

Kaus Australis(Epsilon Sagittarius) is a binary star located 143 light years away. Represented by a blue giant (B) with an apparent magnitude of 1.79, whose brightness is 375 times that of the sun. It ranks first in brightness in the constellation and 36th in the general list. At a distance of 32 arc seconds, she is accompanied by a weak companion of the 14th magnitude.

The traditional name "Kaus Australis" comes from the Arabic "bow" (qaws) and the Latin "southern" (australis). Displays a bow.

Sigma Sagittarius- a hydrogen-fusing dwarf (B2.5 V) with an apparent visual magnitude of 2.1 (ranks second in brightness) and a distance of 228 light years. Covers 7 solar masses and is 3300 times brighter. Rotation speed - 200 km / s (100 times faster than the sun).

At a distance of 5.2 arc minutes there is a faint companion with a magnitude of 9.5. Due to its proximity to the ecliptic, the star is sometimes overlapped by the Moon and planets. Venus passed in front of her on November 17, 1981. It is also the brightest of the stars that are periodically overlapped by planets. But this only applies to Mars, which last did this on September 3, 423.

The name "Nunki" is of Babylonian or Assyrian origin. Nothing is known about the meaning.

Sagittarius Delta is a multiple star system (K3III) with an apparent magnitude of 2.72 and a distance of 306 light years. It is 62 times larger in radius than the sun, 5 times larger in mass and 1180 times brighter.

The traditional name "Kaus Media" is "medium bow". It has three weak satellites: Delta B (magnitude 14) at 26 arc seconds, Delta C (magnitude 15) at 40 arc seconds, and Delta D (13) at 58 arc seconds.

Lambda Sagittarius- an orange giant (K1 + IIIb) with an apparent magnitude of 2.82 and a distance of 77.3 light years. Covers 11 solar radii and is 52 times brighter. It is still in the process of formation: it has already approached final stage existence, but remains stable and fuses helium into carbon and oxygen in the core.

The traditional name "Kaus Borealis" means "northern bow" and marks the tip of the centaur's bow. Due to its close proximity to the ecliptic, it is sometimes overlapped by the Moon and planets. The last time this happened was on November 19, 1984, when Venus passed in front of a star. Before that was Mercury - December 5, 1865.

The star also marks the handle of the Kettle asterism and points to the Lagoon Nebula.

Rukbat(Alpha Sagittarius) is a blue dwarf (B8V) with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.97 and a distance of 170 light years. It is believed that the star may have a disk of debris. Such a phenomenon is not typical for a star of this class, as it emits an excess flux of X-rays. Perhaps her companion is still pre-main sequence.

Shares the traditional name Rukbat with Delta Cassiopeia. From Arabic rukbah means "knee".

In literature, the star was noted in the books by Anne McCaffrey "Riders of Pern". Pern is a planet orbiting the star Rukbat (in the novel it is a class G yellow star).

Beta Sagittarius- this designation is divided by two stars, divided by 0.36 °. The traditional name of the system "Arkab" in Arabic means "hamstring".

Beta-1 Sagittarii (leads) is a double star (B9V) located 378 light years away. The main object is a main sequence dwarf (B9) with an apparent magnitude of 3.96, while the companion is a dwarf (A3) with an apparent magnitude of 7.4. The stars are divided into 28 arcseconds.

Beta-2 Sagittarius (follows) is a giant (F2III) with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.27 and a distance of 137 light-years.

Zeta Sagittarius is a binary star with a combined apparent magnitude of 2.60 (the third brightest in the constellation). Located at 89.1 light years. It is represented by a giant (A2) with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.26 and a subgiant (A4) with an apparent magnitude of 3.37. They are separated by 13.4 a.u. At 75 arcseconds, a weak companion of magnitude 10 rotates.

The name "Ascella" is translated from Latin as "armpit".

Phi Sagittarius- a giant (B8) with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.17 and a distance of 231 light years. It enters the asterism of the Teapot and displays the junction of the handle and the lid.

Pi Sagittarius- a triple star system (F2II) with an apparent magnitude of 2.88 and a distance of 440 light years. There are two satellites: Pi Sagittarius B (0.1 arc seconds) and Pi Sagittarius C (0.4 arc seconds). The star is located near the ecliptic, so sometimes it is hidden behind the Moon or planets. The next such event can be expected on February 17, 2035, when Venus will pass in front of it.

The traditional name "Albaldah" is from the Arabic "city". The Egyptian astronomer Al-Ahsasi al-Muakket designated it Nir al-Beldat in the mid-17th century. Later, the name was translated into Latin "Lucida Oppidi" - "the brightest city."

Gamma Sagittarius is a giant (K (K0III)) with an apparent visual magnitude of 2.98 and a distance of 96.1 light years. The designation "gamma" is divided by two star-shaped systems in the constellation, separated in the sky by 0.86 °.

The name "Alnasl" comes from the Arabic al-naşl, which means "arrowhead".

Tau Sagittarius- an orange giant (K1 or K2) with an apparent magnitude of 3.32 and a distance of 120 light years. Part of the Kettle asterism and displays a handle. It lies between Zeta and Sigma Sagittarii. This is a suspicious double star, although the satellite has not been confirmed.

This is the closest visible star to the origin of the "Wow!" signal. - the first response signal hinting at extraterrestrial life. It was received by SETI researcher Jerry Eiman on August 15, 1977 at State University Ohio. It lasted 72 seconds and died down forever. When the scientist saw this on the printouts, he circled the signal with a pen and wrote "Wow!" ("Wow!").

This Sagittarius is a multiple star system located 149 light years away. The main object is a red giant (M3.5), classified as an irregular variable star with apparent magnitude fluctuations of 3.08-3.12. The bright companion is a dwarf (F) with an apparent visual magnitude of 7.77. Located at 3.6 arc seconds. The second satellite reaches the 13th magnitude and is at a distance of 33 arc seconds.

No one knows where the name "Sefdar" came from. But before that it was called Beta Telescope. Around the year 6300, the system will be in the constellation of the Southern Crown.

Pistol Star- a blue variable star, 4 million times brighter than the Sun and 120-200 times more massive. It is believed that in 20 seconds it spews out as much energy as the Sun produces in a year.

It is located in the galactic center and is 25,000 light years away from our system. If not for interstellar dust, then its magnitude would be 4, and we could observe with the naked eye.

It was named after the nebula that it illuminates.

KW Sagittarius- a red supergiant with an apparent magnitude of 8.5-11 and a distance of 10,000 light years. The diameter is 1460 times larger than the sun.

Policy(Mu Sagittarius) is a multi-star system whose components are labeled A through E. The system is located 3912 light years away. The name "Polis" means "colt" in Coptic.

The main object is a giant (B), 23 times as massive as the Sun and 180,000 times brighter. It is an eclipsing binary with a supergiant (B8) and a giant (B2) as a companion. The apparent A value ranges from 3.84 to 3.96.

Ro Sagittarius is a binary star with a subgiant (F0) and a giant (K0) distant from the first by 0.46°. The apparent visual magnitude of the subgiant is 3.93, and the distance is 122 light years from our system. The satellite reaches an apparent magnitude of 5.84 and is located 359 light years away.

Upsilon Sagittarius is a spectroscopic binary star. It is one of four star systems that do not contain hydrogen, which makes it difficult to determine the classification. It is believed that the main object is a type (A) supergiant. It is an irregular variable star, with an apparent magnitude of 4.51-4.65 with a period of 20 days.

The companion is more massive than the main star, but so faint that optical telescopes cannot detect it. Most likely, this is a main sequence dwarf (B or O) that increased the mass of the first star. The system is located 1672 light years away and has an orbital period of 137.939 days.

Ross 154(V1216 Sagittarii) is a red dwarf located 9.68 light years from our system. It is one of the closest stars to the Sun and the closest in the constellation Sagittarius. It is located 5.41 light years from Barnard's Star (Ophiucus). Age is less than a billion years. It is a known source of X-rays. In 150,000 years, it will approach the Sun at a distance of 6.13 light years.

In 1925, the star was cataloged by Frank Elmore Ross as a UV Ceti flare star capable of dramatically increasing brightness for several minutes (flare stars are usually dull red dwarfs or less massive brown dwarfs).

Asterisms of the constellation Sagittarius

Teapot

Some of the brightest stars in Sagittarius (Delta, Epsilon, Gamma-2, Lambda, Zeta, Phi, Tau, and Sigma) create the Kettle asterism. Sigma and Tau mark the handle, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta and Phi the body, Lambda the lid point, and Gamma-2 the tip of the spout.

terebellum- a quadrangle created by four stars with a magnitude of 4 and distant by 2 degrees: Omega Sagittarius, 59 Sagittarius, 60 Sagittarius and 62 Sagittarius.

Omega Sagittarius is a subgiant (G), denoting the northeast corner and 78 light-years distant from us.

59 Sagittarius is a bright giant (K) in the southeast corner, 1200 light years distant.

60 Sagittarius is a giant (G) in the northwest corner, 340 light years away.

62 Sagittarius is a giant (M) in the southwest corner, about 450 light-years from Earth. This is an irregular variable.

As you can see, they are all located at different distances from our system and are not bound by gravity.

Celestial objects of the constellation Sagittarius

Sagittarius A is a radio source located in the center of the Milky Way. Closed from observation by large cosmic dust clouds in the spiral arms of the galaxy.

It consists of the supernova remnant Sagittarius A East, the spiral structure Sagittarius A West and a bright radio source located in the center of the spiral - Sagittarius A*.

The supernova remnant Sagittarius A Vostok is 25 light-years wide and was created by an explosion 35,000-100,000 years ago.

Due to its huge size and energy reserve, it is believed that the explosion occurred due to a star that approached the central black hole and fell under gravitational compression.

Sagittarius A West resembles a spiral with three arms and is sometimes called a Minispiral. However, it does not have a helical structure. It is created from dust and gas clouds surrounding Sagittarius A* and falling on it at incredibly high speeds (1000 km/s). Clouds contain an ionized surface.

Sagittarius A* is a prime candidate for hosting the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. The stars revolve around the object at a speed faster than any other stars found in our galaxy.

Sagittarius B2- a large molecular cloud of dust and gas, located 390 light years from the center of the Milky Way. Covering an area of 150 light years, it is one of the largest molecular clouds in our galaxy and the largest in the vicinity of the galactic core. It is 3 million times more massive than the Sun.

(Messier 8, M8, NGC 6523) is a huge interstellar cloud classified as an emission nebula with an apparent magnitude of 6.0. Located 4100 light years away. This is one of several notable H II regions in Sagittarius.

This is one of only two regions of star formation that can be seen without the use of technology. In 1747, it was discovered by French astronomer Guillaume Legentil.

In the center of the Lagoon Nebula there is a structure - the Hourglass Nebula (not to be confused with an object in the constellation of the Fly). It contains several Herbig-Haro objects, indicating the presence of newborn stars and active star formation.

Omega Nebula - Messier 17(M17, NGC 6618, Swan Nebula, Horseshoe or Lobster)

It is an emission nebula with an apparent magnitude of 6.0 and a distance of 5000-6000 light years. This is also the H II region, found in 1745 by Swiss astronomer Jean Philippe de Chezo.

In 1764, Messier included it in his catalogue. Occupies 15 light-years in diameter and contains an open cluster of 35 hot young stars that illuminate its gases.

Messier 18(M18, NGC 6613) is an open star cluster with an apparent visual magnitude of 7.5 and a distance of 4900 light years. Age - 32 million years.

Charles Messier discovered it in 1764. Can be found between M 24 and M17.

triple nebula(Messier 20, M20, NGC 6514) is a bright emission/reflection nebula spanning 28 arcminutes in size. The apparent visual magnitude is 6.3, and the distance is 5200 light years.

It's kind of a combination of an emission nebula (bottom), a reflective nebula (top), and an open cluster. It is an H II region containing a star with embryonic stars.

It is a popular object among hobbyists as it can be found with a small telescope.

Messier 21(M21, NGC 6531) is an open cluster with an age of 4.6 million years. Holds 57 stars. It is located 4250 light years away and has an apparent magnitude of 6.5.

In June 1764 it was discovered by Charles Messier and later added to the catalog.

(M22, NGC 6656) is one of the brightest star clusters in the sky. Covers 32 minutes of arc and takes the form of an ellipse. The apparent visual magnitude is 5.1, and the distance is 10600 light years (one of the nearest globular clusters).

It is located near the galactic bulge (the central group of stars in the Milky Way). It is also one of four globular clusters with a planetary nebula. Designated as GJJC1. Reaches an age of 6000 years and contains a blue star in the center.

In 1665, the cluster was discovered by the German amateur astronomer Johann Abraham Ihle. And in June 1764, Messier adds it to the catalog.

(M23, NGC 6494) is an open cluster with an apparent visual magnitude of 6.9 and a distance of 2150 light years. It covers 15-20 light-years in radius and contains 150 stars. The brightest of them reaches magnitude 9.2. In June 1764 he was found by Charles Messier.

(M24, NGC 6603, IC 4715) is a stellar cloud that extends 600 light-years across and is 10,000 light-years distant. Charles Messier discovered it in 1764. This is the densest concentration of stars that can be seen with binoculars. Within one field of view, a thousand stars appear.

Stars and clusters are parts of the spiral arms of Sagittarius (Sagittarius-Kiel). This arm is particularly notable for hosting a huge number of H II regions, giant molecular clouds, and young stars.

Messier 25(M25, IC 4725) is an open cluster with an apparent magnitude of 4.6 and a distance of 2000 light years. It is 19 light years wide. Age - 90 million years. Jean Philippe de Chezo found it in 1745, and Messier added it to his catalog in 1764.

Messier 28(M28, NGC 6626) is a globular cluster located near Lambda Sagittarii. It is 18000-19000 light years away from us, and the apparent magnitude is 7.66.

Accommodates 18 RR Lyra variable stars. These are pulsating stars (A or F) with half the solar mass. They are used to measure galactic distances.

It was the first globular star cluster, where a millisecond pulsar was found in 1986 (rotation period - 1-10 milliseconds).

Messier 54(M54, NGC 6715) is a dense globular cluster with an apparent magnitude of 8.37 and a distance of 87,400 light years. It spans 150 light-years across. It belongs to the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy and is located next to Zeta Sagittarius. In 1778 the cluster was discovered by Charles Messier.

Messier 55(M55, NGC 6809) is a globular cluster with an apparent visual magnitude of 7.42 and a distance of 17,300 light years.

Found in 1751 by astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, and added to Messier's catalog in 1778.

Messier 69(M69, NGC 6637) is a globular cluster with an apparent magnitude of 8.31 and a distance of 29,700 light years. Radius - 42 light years. Contains few variable stars.

On August 31, Charles Messier found the cluster along with M70, from which it is 1800 light-years away.

(M70, NGC 6681) is a globular cluster near the galactic center. It is located at 29300 light years and has an apparent magnitude of 9.06. Radius - 34 light years.

Charles Messier discovered it in 1780.

Messier 75(M75, NGC 6864) is a globular star cluster located 67,500 light years away.

The radius is 67 light years and the apparent magnitude is 9.18. This is a dense cluster belonging to class I. In 1780, it was found by astronomer from France, Pierre Mechain.

Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy- an elliptical galaxy in the form of a loop with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.5 and a distance of 65,000 light years (50,000 light years from the center of the galaxy).

In diameter, it extends for 10,000 light years and contains 4 globular clusters (the main one was found in 1994). It was once considered the closest galaxy to the Milky Way, but in 2003 this place was taken by the Dwarf Galaxy in Canis Major.

This is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way moving towards a collision. Its ellipse is already spread out around our galaxy, and the main cluster will pass through the galactic disk of the Milky Way within the next million years.

It is believed that over the past billions of years, it has already made a revolution around our galaxy 10 times. And although it was destroyed by strong tides, it still holds the shape of an elongated ellipse. It is an old galaxy, therefore filled with population II stars (poor in metal). At the core is the globular cluster Messier 54.

Planetary nebula in Sagittarius.

Sagittarius(Dwarf irregular galaxy) is a dwarf galaxy 3.39 million light-years distant from our system. The apparent magnitude is 15.5. It contains stars of intermediate age due to the long period of star formation. It contains very little metal.

In June 1977, she was found on a photographic plate.

– planetary nebula.

NGC 6522- a globular cluster (perhaps the oldest in the Milky Way). Located in Window Baade ( low level dust, from which you can see the galactic center).

First found in June 1784 by William Herschel.

Barnard's Galaxy(NGC 6822, IC 4895, Caldwell 57) is a barred irregular galaxy located in the Local Group of Galaxies. Similar to the Small Magellanic Cloud.

The apparent visual magnitude is 9.3, and the distance is 1.63 million light years. It was named after E.E. Barnard, who discovered the galaxy in 1881 using a 6-inch refractor telescope.

Edwin Hubble found 15 variable stars, 11 of which are Cepheids (luminous variables whose brightness depends on the periodicity of pulsations). They are used to determine distances in space.

Hubble set the distance at 700,000 light years using the Cepheid period-luminosity relationship. It was the first system located outside the Magellanic Clouds, whose exact distance could be determined.

is a globular star cluster.

Bubble Nebula(Hubble 1925 I) is an emission nebula located in the Barnard Galaxy. Contains regions of massive H II emission, large clouds of partially ionized gas hinting at recent star formation.

NGC 6818 is a planetary nebula discovered in 1787 by William Herschel. The inner elongated shape is thought to have been formed by a rushing wind of material moving away from the hot central star.

Compatibility horoscope: zodiac sign Sagittarius in the sky - the most Full description, only proven theories based on astrological observations of several millennia.

Where is the constellation Sagittarius located?

How to see the constellation in the starry sky?

What is the constellation Sagittarius?

The Sagittarius constellation is one of the twelve zodiac constellations.

It is best to observe it in the starry sky in summer - in August and July. This constellation is located in the zodiac zone with only one part of it. Its other side is located on the Milky Way. In the direction of the constellations Sagittarius and Ophiuchus, it is in the part of the Milky Way that the center, the core of our galaxy, is located. The distance to it is about 4000 light years.

Sagittarius is a large constellation, it has about 115 stars. Only a few of them are bright - stars of the 2nd (two stars) and 3rd magnitude (8 stars).

In our southern regions in summer, this constellation is located in the southeast, low above the horizon, to the left and above the constellation Scorpio.

Constellations of zodiac signs. Zodiac signs: constellations in the sky

Bright stars in the sky form characteristic figures. Such clusters are called constellations. People always look at the stars for a long time, trying to unravel the mystery of their cosmic origin. They want to find among the constellations those that they once read or heard about. Twelve of the heavenly figures are the constellations of the signs of the zodiac. Legends are associated with each of them, telling about its discovery and explaining its name. What are these zodiac signs?

The zodiac is a certain belt of the sky, along which some planets, the Moon and the Sun move, passing 12 constellations on their way. Since they are located in the zodiacal field, they got their name - the constellations of the zodiac. Each of them in ancient astrology was designated or accompanied by a certain symbol, which is called the sign of the zodiac. Here is such a simple story of how the constellations of the zodiac signs appeared.

How many of them are

The sun goes around a large circle of the celestial sphere in a year. This circle (called the zodiac, only 360 degrees) is divided into 12 sectors of 30 degrees each, which got their name from the constellations that the Sun passes on its way.

Each month corresponds to the sign of the zodiac in which the Sun makes its movement in this month. Once upon a time, the constellations of the zodiac signs served as a calendar for people, since the Sun traveled in each of them for about a month. But since the point of the vernal equinox is constantly moving (in 70 years by 1 °), the Sun today moves not in one, but in two adjacent constellations for one month, but the designations that existed earlier for months have been preserved. In the constellation Virgo, the Sun moves for the longest time - 44 days, and the constellation of Scorpio, the Sun passes in 6 days. In fairness, it should be noted that the Sun between November 30 and December 18 passes another cluster of stars - Ophiuchus, but it so happened historically that he did not get a month, and he was not included in the constellations of the zodiac signs.

Origin of names

Each constellation of the signs of the zodiac people have come up with their own name. According to one version, the origin of the names of the signs of the zodiac correspond to the exploits of Hercules. Other versions are based on ancient Greek myths about the gods of Olympus. Each name and sign has its own legend. It is interesting that, despite the ancient Greek origin, all the names of the signs of the zodiac have been written in Latin since ancient times.

To date, astrologers call 12 signs of the zodiac, united by 4 elements:

earth - Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo;
water - Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces;
fire - Aries, Leo, Sagittarius;
air - Libra, Aquarius, Gemini.

According to mystical teaching, the signs of the zodiac - constellations in the sky - endow people born under them (that is, in a month when the Sun passes a certain constellation) with certain character traits.

Aries constellation

The first spring months - March and April (21.03 - 20.04) - correspond to the zodiac sign Aries. The constellation Aries consists of 20 stars. Mezartim, Sharatan, Gamal are the three brightest stars of Aries. About 2000 years ago, the place of the vernal equinox was in Aries. According to astronomers, she will not return here soon, but after a long 24,000 years.

One of the myths tells how Aries saves Frix with Gella, two children who, at the behest of the evil stepmother Ino, must be sacrificed. The fate of the children was different, but the memory of the golden-fleeced lamb was forever preserved by the starry firmament.

Constellation Taurus

Taurus (April 21 - May 21) is a very noticeable constellation, an attentive observer will see up to 130 of its stars, 14 of them can be seen especially clearly. The brightest are Aldebaran, Nat and the star of Alcyone and Zeta Taurus. This constellation is the point of the summer solstice.

According to one of the legends, Taurus is identified with Zeus. He adopted this image in order to kidnap Europa, the daughter of the Phoenician king.

In the constellation of Gemini, you can see about 70 stars, two of which - Castor and Pollux - are the brightest. The immeasurable brotherly love of Castor and Pollux, which ancient Greek myths tell about, prompted people to find two shining heavenly stars and call them Gemini. The sign corresponds to May and June (22.05 - 21.06).

Constellation Cancer

The summer months - June and July (22.06 - 23.07) - correspond to the zodiac sign Cancer. The constellation Cancer is very large and at the same time the weakest, it is lost against the background of its bright neighbors-brothers Leo and Gemini. In good weather, about 60 stars of the constellation can be seen at night without telescopic instruments. The brightest is Altarf or Beta Cancer.

The legend connects the appearance of this constellation in the sky with the name of Hercules' implacable rival Hera, it was she who brought the sea monster there, which bit Hercules during the battle with the Hydra. Although according to legend it was not a cancer, but a crab, astronomers liked the first name more.

Constellation Leo

According to the constellation Leo (July, August), another zodiac sign is named. The constellation Leo is the brightest in the zodiac family. Its largest star is called Regulus, which means king. The constellation is also interesting because in November, once every 33 years, you can see star showers of a meteor shower in it.

The mythological Nemean lion (with which the appearance of the constellation is associated), born of a half-woman half-snake Echidna, was able to defeat the illegitimate son of Zeus Hercules. And the great thunderer immortalized the victory of his son, raising the defeated monster to heaven.

Constellation Virgo

Virgo is a large cluster of stars in the zodiac, 164 of its stars are visible without a telescope and spyglass. The brightest is Spica. In our era, the point of the autumn equinox is located in the constellation Virgo. The zodiac sign corresponds to August and September.

Numerous legends connect the Virgin either with Rhea, the mother of Zeus, or with Themis, or Gaia, mother earth.

Constellation Libra

Libra - the months of September and October. Once its constituent stars were part of the constellation Scorpio, but, moving away, subsequently formed a new constellation. The origin of the constellation is associated with the daughter of Zeus Astrea, who, without getting tired, walked the earth, evaluating the unfair and just deeds of people with the help of scales.

Consists of 83 stars, the brightest of which are Zuben el Shemali and Zuben el Genubi.

Among the signs of the zodiac, Scorpio has found its place. This southern zodiac constellation is one of the brightest in the sky, it has 17 stars, the brightest of which is Antares.

As the myths tell, Scorpio, who mortally stung the young hunter Orion, settled forever next to him in heaven. This zodiac sign corresponds to October and November.

Sagittarius (months of November and December) - the brightest cluster of stars. 115 stars of the constellation will appear before the attentive gaze of the observer, of which 14 stars are very bright, Alnazl, Albaldakh, Kaus Borealis, Kaus Meridianalis, Askella, Nunki and Kaus Australis hold the championship.

This is a very interesting part of the sky. There are three nebulae, the center of the galaxy and a supermassive black hole. The constellation Sagittarius is the point of the winter solstice.

Sagittarius is the image of a mighty mythological centaur, forever rushing across the sky.

The Capricorn zodiac sign corresponds to December and January. Without telescopic equipment, 86 stars in this cluster can be seen. Beta Capricorn is the brightest of all.

There are many legends about this constellation. In ancient Greek mythology, it is said that Capricorn was the son of Hermes. He, frightened by the hundred-headed Titan, rushed into the sea. After that, his appearance changed greatly, he turned into a goat with a fish tail. The gods were amazed at the sight of the monster and took him to heaven.

Aquarius (months of January and February) is another large cluster of stars on the solar path, seven stars in it are the brightest. Aquarius is clearly visible at night from August to October. Closer to the second half of summer in the constellation, you can observe active meteor showers. Aquarius is also famous for the fact that it contains a huge and closest to the Earth nebula Snail. The name of the constellation, according to ancient legends, means "master of the waters."

The constellation of the zodiac sign Pisces corresponds to February and March. The largest star in the constellation is Alrisha. The cluster contains 75 visible stars. This is the vernal equinox.

According to mythological legends, the fish are Akida and Galatea in love. Pursued by the Cyclops Polyphemus, who was in love with Galatea, they rushed to deep sea and were consumed by it. The gods took the lovers to heaven and gave them eternal life in the constellation Pisces.

Zodiac sign Sagittarius

- Sun and Moon in the sign of Sagittarius. Sign history, description, characteristics.

The sign of Sagittarius is generally windy; its leading part is moist, the middle part is moderate, and the last part is burning. The northern parts are windy, the southern parts are wet and changeable.

Claudius Ptolemy - On the weather - "A mathematical treatise in four parts"

Zodiac sign Sagittarius - denotes the ninth 30-degree segment of the zodiac belt, when counted from the vernal equinox (Fig. 2 and 3), with ecliptic coordinates 240°, ±5°19′; 270°, ±5°19'.

In 2017, the Sun is in the sign of Sagittarius with November 22, 2017 06:04 on December 21, 2017 19:28 MSK(Moscow time). The average dates when the Sun is in this zodiac sector are November 23 - December 21.

This sign got its name from the constellation Sagittarius (Fig. 4), located at the beginning of our era completely in this segment. In our time, due to precession * - a cyclic change in the direction of the earth's axis relative to the stars, the Sun is simultaneously in the constellation of Sagittarius and in the sign of Sagittarius only from December 18 to 21 (Fig. 2):

Rice. 2 Zodiac sign Sagittarius, constellation Sagittarius and their mutual arrangement in a spherical projection (in the ancient view, the heavens consisted of several nested spheres surrounding the Earth).

So the sign of the zodiac is a part of the sky marked out by given ecliptic coordinates. The section of the sky corresponding to the sign of the zodiac Sagittarius currently looks like this:

Rice. 3. Zodiac sign Sagittarius - a section of the starry sky corresponding to the sign of Sagittarius, as of November 22, 2017:

From the right, the Sun enters the sign, the brightest stars of the Scorpio Constellation, as well as the planets Saturn and Mercury, fall into the region of Sagittarius. Saturn will be in the sign of Sagittarius until January 2018, thus creating the prerequisites (according to Ptolemy) so that the winters are cold, and "winter children" (children born in winter) for the most part were "Sagittarius".

Philosophers of antiquity endowed the Sagittarius sign with the following properties:

– The zodiac sign Sagittarius, (lat. Sagittarius), which got its name from the constellation Sagittarius, is male sign(according to the rules of alternation, as well as in accordance with the legend of the constellation), and also Sagittarius is the first, "fiery" abode of Jupiter.

- The sign of Sagittarius - personifies "autumn", the time of withering of the element (element) Fire and, accordingly, gravitates towards one of the essences of this element - dryness. The embodiment of the properties of this primary element in a person born under the auspices of this sign is expressed by the sanguine type of temperament (as the main component).

- In ancient times, Sagittarius was also distinguished by such characteristics and properties: on the basis of the location of the constellation Sagittarius relative to the plane of the celestial equator - southern; seasonally - late autumn; harmonize with the sign of Sagittarius: metals - tin (from Jupiter), compatible metal - gold; precious stones - turquoise, diamond, sapphire.

And at the sign Sagittarius there is one important feature- in this sign The sun in most cases can no longer play a decisive role in determining the temperament of people born during the stay of the daylight in this sign, and Saturn and the "combination games" of other planets take on the leading role (according to the beliefs of the philosophers of antiquity).

Sagittarius sign, sun and planets

The Sun, Moon and other planets, according to the ideas of ancient philosophers, in the zodiac sector of Sagittarius acquired approximately the following possibilities of influencing earthly processes:

☉ The sun. In the sign of Sagittarius, the power of the influence of the Sun on the course of earthly life is already small (from 2/3 to 1/3 of a conditional point - the power of influence on earthly processes at the time of exaltation or fall is taken as 1 point), Sagittarius is a late autumn sign and the power of the influence of the Sun in it is less units;

☽ Moon. In Sagittarius, the Moon begins to lose influence on earthly processes, its strength becomes less than one (from 2/3 to 1/3 points);

♀ Venus in the sign of Sagittarius continues to lose its influence (from 1/3 to 0 points);

♃ Jupiter in Sagittarius at home and as influential as ever (strength up to 2 1/3 points);

☿ Mercury in the sign of Sagittarius reaches the second maximum of its own power of influence (up to 2 points);

♂ Mars- once in the sign of Sagittarius, it increases its influence (from 2/3 to 1 point);

♄ Saturn- in Sagittarius, everything shows the influence of its cold essence to an even greater extent (from 1 1/3 to 1 2/3 points).

Sagittarius sign, nature, weather and plants

What would you do if there was no weather service?

That's right, they would begin to observe the surrounding nature and the stars, note the connections between them and weather phenomena, and write down signs.

People in ancient times were very observant, and sometimes noticed very complex relationships between the location of the stars, the weather and the timing of crops. Ptolemy, for example, attributes weather properties to the sign of Sagittarius typical for december in ancient Alexandria (epigraph).

But the most important thing for the people of the ancient agricultural states was the determination of favorable terms for working with plants, since their life and well-being depended on the harvest. When drawing up recommendations for farmers on favorable terms of work, in addition to the Sun, very great importance given to the Moon, its phases and the "interaction" of the Moon with the signs of the zodiac. The ancient Greeks knew quite a lot about this - observations had accumulated thousands of years before them, and a separate article is devoted to this topic: Moon in Sagittarius - Zodiac sign Sagittarius, the Moon and plants. For those who at the moment do not have the desire to delve into agricultural issues related to this sign, I will tell you the main thing: Sagittarius is far from the most fertile sign, in the ranking of fertility, it ranks fourth from the bottom.

Sagittarius sign and people

Sagittarius are the same Lions and Aries, only more balanced.

Nowadays, if a person was born under the Sun in the sign of Sagittarius, then half in jest, half in earnest, he is recorded in "Sagittarius". But the Ancient Greeks believed that the Sun in this sign was "not in power", and other planets, most often Saturn, point to the patron sign of the newborn. From 2015 to 2017, Saturn is in the sign of Sagittarius, so the modern scheme also works truthfully in these years!

Ancient philosophers for the most part believed that the character of a person is formed under the influence of his life experience, and the sign of the zodiac determines, for those born under it, only the dominant temperament and fortitude (according to Ptolemy: "resistance to fate"):

Healers of ancient times, in turn, believed that the life expectancy and health of those born under the sign of Sagittarius strongly depended on the condition of the liver and lungs.

The question of compatibility of Sagittarius, which is of interest to many, in relations with each other and with people born under other signs of the zodiac, is discussed in an article specially devoted to this issue: Compatibility by zodiac sign and temperament. Types of temperament according to Hippocrates.

Zodiac sign Sagittarius and Russia

Significant events that unfolded in the history of Russia when the Sun was under the sign of Sagittarius

December 15, 1699- Decree of Peter I on the introduction of the Julian calendar in Russia from January 1, 1700;

November 24, 1729- Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov, the great Russian commander, was born;

December 12, 1766- Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, Russian writer and historian, was born;

December 15, 1970– Venera-7: the first successful landing on another planet of a spacecraft sent from Earth;

Following the sign of Sagittarius, the tenth zodiac sector - zodiac sign Capricorn.

Work on the article "Zodiac Sign Sagittarius" will be continued.

Abstracts: Zodiac sign Sagittarius and people. Zodiac sign Sagittarius, temperament - About compatibility.

* Constellation Sagittarius

As for Sagittarius, the stars at the end of his arrow have the same influence as Mars and the Moon; the stars on the bow and the hand holding it are like Jupiter and Mars; a cluster of stars on the forehead - like the Sun and Mars; the stars on the cloak and back are like Jupiter and, to a lesser extent, Mercury; the stars on the legs are like Jupiter and Saturn; the star quadrangle on the tail is like Venus and, to a lesser extent, Saturn.

Claudius Ptolemy - On the Influence of the Stars - "A Mathematical Treatise in Four Parts"

Due to the precession of the earth's axis *** the constellations shift with time relative to the vernal equinox and the apparent movement of the Sun through them occurs with increasing delay. The constellations, gradually shifting counterclockwise and bypassing the entire zodiac circle, return to their original places after 25,776 years.

At present, the Sun passes through the constellation Sagittarius exactly 1 month and 1 day: from December 18 to January 19.

Rice. 4 The constellation Sagittarius (Sagittarius - lat.), The brightest stars.

Outline drawing of Sagittarius, which defined the boundaries of the constellation (to see the outline, move the cursor to the picture, and on the tablet, touch it)

If you are at the latitude of Moscow, then alas, you will not be able to fully see the constellation Sagittarius at any time of the year, for this you need to go south, at least to Sochi or the Crimea.

The brightest stars create an asterism ****, reminiscent of the Sagittarius symbol ♐ . If these stars are connected as shown in Figure 5, then you get an arrow with a huge tip and powerful plumage, not an arrow, but the very "Sagittarius". It is noteworthy that this arrow bends and strives to point to the center of our galaxy (red target).

Best of all, in the middle latitudes, the constellation Sagittarius can be seen at the beginning of July, and at midnight from July 6 to July 7, the constellation will be at its highest point (the culmination of the constellation) and then in the Arrow asterism ( ♐ ) all stars are visible (Fig. 5).

The brightest star of the constellation Sagittarius is bluish Kaus Australis ***** (ε Sgr), but the main star α Sagittarius (α Sgr) Rukbat is far from being the brightest star and is "on the heels" for some ancient epic reasons.

Rice. 5-6 Constellation Sagittarius. Asterism ♐ – “Arrow” and contours of a horse, as a prototype of a centaur – diagrams (diagrams by stars), to see the horse, move the cursor to the picture or touch it

The ancient Greeks, who inherited the modern contours of the constellations, observed the stars of the zodiacal belt in a completely different way than we see them in our middle latitudes. At the latitude of Athens, and even more so of Alexandria, they pass near the zenith, and the ecliptic line is almost perpendicular to the horizon and the stars are so bright that it seems you can reach them with your hand. Therefore, they can easily imagine the image of a horse next to an arrow (Fig. 4 and 5-6). But excuse me, where does the horse? We need a Sagittarius! So, in order to make the horse "shoot" the ancients just came up with a centaur - a horse with arms and a human torso, or maybe, at first, just a horse with arms?

Ptolemy's epigraph to the section on the constellation is well illustrated by a collage created on the basis of a painting from the atlas of Jan Hevelius, clearly demonstrating that there are people who can literally perceive the starry sky as a living panorama of legends.

Rice. 7 The constellation Sagittarius is a collage based on a drawing by Jan Hevelius (only those stars that were listed by Hevelius in the Atlas are highlighted.

Sun in the sign of Sagittarius. Dates 2000 - 2017

from the sign of Scorpio

in the sign of Capricorn

** Currently, there are several similar definitions of the choleric type of temperament, and the behavioral characteristics of its owner:

"Choleric (from Greek chole [ hole] - bile), going back to Hippocrates, the designation of one of the four temperaments, characterized by speed of action, strong, quickly arising feelings, clearly reflected in speech, gestures, facial expressions.

Big Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd ed. 1969 - 1978

"Choleric is a subject with one of the main types of temperament, characterized by a high level of mental activity, energy of action, sharpness, swiftness, strength of movements, their fast pace, impulsiveness; the choleric is quick-tempered, impatient, prone to emotional breakdowns, sometimes aggressive.

S.Yu. Golovin. Dictionary of practical psychologist.

"Choleric is a temperament in the classification of Hippocrates. A person of choleric temperament can be described as fast, impulsive, able to give himself to business with passion, but not balanced, prone to violent emotional outbursts and sudden mood swings."

Glossary of psychological terms. Under. ed. N. Gubina.

Summarizing these definitions, in accordance with our topic, we obtain:

Choleric, as a carrier of temperament associated with fire signs, is active and energetic, strives to show leadership qualities and Creative skills, determined and self-confident. Choleric-Sagittarius is the most balanced of the fire signs, but he is also impulsive under the influence of emotions, at such moments he thinks little, but acts, moreover, very much and quickly - famously takes on the solution of the problem, but his strength is not enough for a short time. If something did not work out the first time, he quits what he started and can become depressed - he is generally characterized by cyclical behavior.

Choleric easily converges with new people, but in communication he sometimes lacks self-control.

The choleric person does not know how to adapt, when faced with something that he does not like, he immediately seeks to transform it in accordance with his desires and ideas. Often irascible and impatient.

*** Precession of the earth's axis- another very slow rotation of the Earth, caused by the influence of the moments of the gravitational forces of the Sun and the Moon, expressed in a gradual change in the direction of the axis of the Earth's daily rotation.

**** Asterism- an easily distinguishable group of stars that has a well-established independent name.

***** Kaus- bow, Kaus Australis translates as "southern part of the bow"

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It is zodiac and is located partly in the Milky Way, and partly in the zodiac belt. This constellation can be seen best in the southern part of the horizon at night in July and August. Next to Sagittarius are the constellations of Capricorn, Microscope, Southern Crown, Scorpio, Ophiuchus, Shield and Eagle.

Against the milky white background of the Milky Way on a clear and moonless night in the constellation Sagittarius, about 115 stars can be distinguished with the naked eye, but most of them are faint.
Only two of them have a magnitude of 2m, and eight stars are 3m. These are the brightest stars in the constellation Sagittarius. Mentally connected by lines, they form a very complex configuration of two groups, between which there are fainter stars. Even with a very strong fantasy in this complex geometric figure it is difficult to see the mythical centaur (half-man-half-horse) Chiron, who, pulling his bowstring, is ready to shoot an arrow at Scorpio. He wants to kill him to avenge the fact that the Scorpion fatally stung the legendary hunter Orion. Behind the centaur Chiron, two wide ribbons flutter, in which bright stars shine. This is how this constellation was depicted in antiquity.

There are many open and globular clusters in the constellation Sagittarius, most of which can be observed with binoculars. Globular clusters M 28 (NGC 6626), M 69 (NGC 6637), M 70 (NGC 6681), M 54 (NGC 6715), M 55 (NGC 6809) and M 22 ( NGC 6656). The last two clusters - the brightest - are located approximately at the border of visibility with the naked eye.

The globular star cluster M 55 (NGC 6809) with an integral magnitude of 6m,4 has a diameter of 43 light years. The distance from Earth to it is 13,050 light years. It is moving away from us at a speed of 170 kilometers per second.
The globular star cluster M 22 (NGC 6656) with an integral magnitude of 5m,1 has a diameter of 62 light years. The distance to it is 8200 light years. It is approaching us at a speed of 144 kilometers per second.

In the direction of the constellation Sagittarius lies the core of our Galaxy. Although the core is about 4,000 light-years across and contains an enormous number of stars, it cannot be seen even with the largest modern telescopes. The reason for this is that there are many dark nebulae between the core and the Sun that absorb light from the stars in the core. However, they transmit long-wavelength and infrared radiation from the nucleus. This circumstance was used by the Soviet scientists A. Kalinyak, V. Krasovsky and V. Nikonov when photographing the nucleus in infrared rays in 1951. Our Sun is located at a distance of about 30,000 light years from the core of the Galaxy and revolves around it at a speed of 220 kilometers per second, making one revolution in 200 million years (galactic, or space, year).

constellation myth
Sagittarius

Mythology links the constellation Sagittarius with the centaur Chiron. He, like all centaurs, was a man from head to waist, and the lower part of his body represented the torso of a horse with four legs and strong hooves.

Chiron was the wisest of all centaurs. He was the teacher of all the mythical heroes who became famous for their exploits.

At the foot of Mount Pelion, hidden by an olive grove, was the cave of Chiron. In this cave, on the branches of laurel and myrtle, a centaur reclined and played on a golden lyre. With his songs, he taught the wisdom of his students, and they listened to him with rapture.

The centaur Chiron sang about the eternal and endless Chaos, which existed before everything else, and in it was the source of life and light, which gave birth to the world and the immortal gods. From him came the Earth - the goddess Gaia, huge and powerful, giving life and strength to everything that is on it. Deep in its bowels is the terrible Tartarus - an impenetrable abyss, shrouded in eternal darkness, darkness inaccessible to the joys of life.

Chiron sang about how Chaos was born mighty force giving life everything - Love(Eros). Chaos gave birth to eternal Darkness and dark Night, from which Light and Day were born.

The Earth gave birth to the boundless blue Sky (Uranus), which stretches over it, high and immense, and at night it is strewn with stars that shine like diamonds. Mountain peaks, created by the Earth, rise to the Sky, and fertile fields stretch in the valleys, reaching the ever-noisy sea. On the high peaks of Olympus, doused with eternal light, the gods and the ruler of Heaven and Earth - Zeus live.

Chiron sang about the fire lurking in the bowels of the Earth, giving power and strength to a person who uses ores and metals. He sang about herbs that can cure diseases and relieve people from suffering, about how a person can predict the future. Chiron sang the beauty of a healthy human body, the fearlessness and courage of heroes. He praised the powers that hunting and games give to heroes, make them invincible and crown them with eternal glory. The wise centaur Chiron sang about the greatness of music, uplifting human soul, and about the benefits that a peaceful life and diligence give people.

So every day in songs the centaur Chiron passed on knowledge to his numerous students. He taught them how to wield a bow and accurately throw a spear at a target.

When Helios began to descend on his chariot to the waters of the endless Ocean in the western side of the Earth, the disciples of Chiron went hunting in the mountains. With the sunset of Helios, they returned and, from a distance, shouted to the teacher about their successes. Hercules laid at his feet two deer, which he killed. Peleus got two chamois, and Orpheus brought a live goat... Chiron gently stroked the head of his students and praised them for their strength and courage. Esculapius (Asclepius) also returned, holding in his hand a bouquet of forest flowers and herbs. He waved the stalk of one plant with sharp green leaves and, approaching Chiron, said to him: “Master, I saw a snake stung a goat, it began to bleat strongly and writhe in pain. But then she went to the source and chewed a few leaves of this grass "Her pain immediately disappeared. Therefore, I collected this herb, which helps against snake bites. I collected many other herbs that can be used to treat people's diseases."

Chiron rejoiced at the story of Aesculapius, hugged him, stroked his head and advised him to continue diligently looking for different herbs to treat people with diseases.

With the onset of dusk, the students of Chiron went to the forest for firewood. Having brought firewood, they built a huge fire, on which they baked and roasted the dead deer and chamois. And before dinner, Chiron sent them to the source to bathe and freshen up, and only after that he allowed them to eat. After eating, the students surrounded their wise teacher and began to talk with him on a variety of topics. After that, each of them took his lyre, and together with their teacher they played and sang.

With the onset of night, the centaur Chiron rose with a lyre to the nearest hill, from where a fabulous spectacle opened up. There he would sit down with his disciples and sing to them about the night, about the star-studded Sky and the silvery Moon. At midnight, Chiron came down the hill and sent his pets to bed.

When the pink-fingered goddess Eos (Dawn) opened the gate so that Helios could ride out in his chariot, the centaur Chiron woke up. He went to the spring to bathe and returned to the cave. There he blew a horn and woke up the disciples with these sounds. Together they went to the source, where they splashed and bathed, and then returned to the cave. After that, Chiron led them into the forest for a morning walk, which continued until the chariot of Helios appeared in the east. Refreshed and invigorated, they returned to have breakfast. Then Chiron led the disciples to a spacious green meadow. There they sat around him and listened to his wise words. When Chiron finished his stories, his students practiced running, jumping, throwing stones, archery and throwing spears. So every day the disciples of Chiron practiced and exercised, becoming strong, cheerful and happy. Their laughter and cries resounded mountains and valleys.

The wise centaur Chiron knew what the future was destined for his students, and therefore dealt with each of them in accordance with what feats he would have to perform. Great glory awaited his disciple Achilles - the son of King Lelei and the sea goddess Thetis. The soothsayer Kalhant predicted that the Atrids would take Troy only if Achilles took part in the campaign. During the siege of this fortified city, he had to perform many feats and cover himself with unfading glory. So Chiron fed him bear brains and lion livers. He taught him to skillfully wield a bow, and Achilles' arrows did not miss. Already at the age of six, he killed ferocious lions, bears and wild boars, and caught up with deer and chamois without dogs and got them alive. Chiron also taught him to play the lyre and sing, so that Achilles could have fun with his friends after victories.

Most of the students of the centaur Chiron took part in the campaign of the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece to distant Colchis under the leadership of Jason.

Aeson, Jason's father, was king of Iolk. His brother Pelias took away his power and destroyed all his loved ones. Eson himself barely escaped with his son, fleeing at night and making his way through dense olive groves and vineyards to the foot of Mount Pelion. Eson showed his son the cave of the centaur Chiron and said to him: "I leave you with him, my son so that he teaches you everything you need, and that after a while you become brave and fearless, but fair. You must take revenge on your uncle and regain the throne that was taken from you by force. I am already old and will hardly live to see that time, but I am sure that the centaur Chiron will prepare you so that you can restore justice.

Chiron accepted Jason as one of his students and taught him for twenty years so that he could worthily fulfill his father's covenant and accomplish the feats destined for him by fate. Chiron taught him not only how to run, how to shoot a bow and throw a spear, but also how to medicinal herbs to heal people. Therefore, he gave him the name Jason (from Iyaso - to heal, heal).

Having matured, Jason prepared a trip to Colchis for the Golden Fleece. All his fellow practitioners took part in this campaign. One of them was the famous singer Orpheus.

On the way to Colchis, the Argonauts visited their teacher, the centaur Chiron. He was very happy when he saw all his students going on a long journey to accomplish one of the greatest feats.

They arranged a sumptuous meal - roasted deer, chamois, wild boars, brought wineskins with fragrant wine. Orpheus played his lyre. The sounds of his song rushed far into the mountains. Shedding tears of joy, Chiron hugged Orpheus and told him: "To make people forget their suffering, to make them joyful and happy with their songs - this is the greatest wealth that only you have, Orpheus! I am happy that you are my student!"

After the death of the wise centaur Chiron, the gods turned him into the constellation Sagittarius and left him shining in the sky among other constellations as a reward for raising and teaching the most famous heroes of Greece, some of whom were the sons of Zeus.

Constellation Sagittarius (Sagittarius) stands in fifth place among the zodiac constellations in terms of distance occupied along the ecliptic. And although in the zodiac circle the reign of Sagittarius begins on November 22, in the constellation the Sun itself, as a rule, is located from December 18 to January 18.
In Moscow, the Moscow region, and in general at the latitude of Moscow, the constellation Sagittarius cannot be fully seen at any time of the year. To fully see the constellation, you need to go south to the latitude of Krasnodar and Stavropol (and further south).

The constellation Sagittarius is unusual in many ways.
Firstly, in Sagittarius are winter solstice point;
Secondly, it is connected with Sagittarius center of galaxies and, about 30,000 light-years away from us and hidden behind clouds of interstellar dust:

"The huge Arrow of the constellation Sagittarius almost exactly points to the center of our galaxy, and this is probably not without reason. When the gas and dust clouds that hide the radiant core of the galaxy disperse, Sagittarius will become the main pearl of all constellations ..."
Reflections under the stars...
Not Nosterdamus

Where the Arrow came from is understandable: the configuration of the local stars allows you to clearly see it. But why the fire arrow?

A 400 by 900 light-year image composed of several photographs from the Chandra telescope,
with hundreds of white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes, in clouds of gas heated to millions of degrees. Inside the bright spot in the center of the image, there is presumably a supermassive black hole of the galactic center (radio source Sagittarius A*). The colors in the image correspond to the x-ray energy ranges: red (low), green (medium) and blue (high).

It is believed that Sagittarius is the most beautiful part of the Milky Way, many globular clusters, as well as dark and light nebulae. There are several bright radio sources in Sagittarius, one of which (Sagittarius A*) is thought to be the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.

For 2011, Sagittarius ranks first among the constellations in terms of the number of variable stars - there are 5559 of them there, which is twice as many as in the second Orion.

The constellation of Sagittarius is also famous for the fact that on August 15, 1977, Dr. Jerry Eyman received the famous Wow signal from the constellation of Sagittarius! ("Wow!"). Scientists do not exclude the possibility of an artificial origin of this signal

Fragment of the original printout of the received signal marked "Wow!", currently stored in the collection Historical Society Ohio state

Constellation Sagittarius in the night sky

The roots of the history of the origin of the constellation Sagittarius go back to a depth of more than four millennia. In the oldest written source describing the starry sky, the collection of cuneiform tablets "Mul Apin" (MUL.APIN), the location of the constellation, is associated with the Sumerian star field called PA.BIL.SAG - firearms (the supposed sound of cuneiform characters is written in capital letters).

It is believed that the name Sagittarius was proposed by Cleostratus. Included in the catalog starry sky Claudius Ptolemy "Almagest". In Russian, the constellation is mentioned as "Strlts" back in 1073 in the "Izbornik of Svyatoslav"

Constellation Sagittarius. The contours of the horse, as a prototype of the centaur

But excuse me, where does the horse? We need a Sagittarius! So, in order to make the horse "shoot" the ancients just came up with a centaur - a horse with arms and a human torso, or maybe, at first, just a horse with arms?
But, if you try to depict the scheme of a centaur, then with a certain imagination, you can imagine a rather similar creature.

Constellation Sagittarius. Centaur with a huge arrow

The ancient Greeks imagined the constellation as a centaur - a creature with a human torso on the body of a horse. The same constellation was depicted in all celestial atlases.

Greek myth connects the constellation Sagittarius with the centaur Krotos, about whom there are no developed myths. Another myth associates the constellation with the wise Chiron.
It was believed that the inventor of the celestial globe was the centaur Chiron, who created it specifically for the campaign of the Argonauts. On the globe, Chiron left a place for himself in the form of the zodiac constellation Sagittarius. But the centaur Krotos was ahead of Chiron, taking his celestial place, and he had to be content with the less honorable position of the constellation Centaurus.

Achilles raised by a centaur

Chiron. Centaur. Having an indomitable craving for knowledge, he was educated directly from the gods, was the mentor of Aristaeus, Achilles, Doskur, Jason and even Orpheus! Was on friendly terms with Hercules. Participated in the preparation of the expedition of the Argonauts, made a star globe for them.
Creating a star globe, the "simple-hearted" Chiron prepared two places on it "for his own" - centaurs...

It is worth noting that in addition to the Arrow, the Horse and the Centaur, people within the constellation Sagittarius manage to highlight such asterisms as Terebellum, Teapot and Spoon

Constellation Sagittarius. Asterisms: Teapot, Spoon, Terebellum

Zodiac sign Sagittarius.
In 2017, the Sun is in the sign of Sagittarius from November 22, 2017 06:04 to December 21, 2017 19:28 MSK (Moscow time). The average dates when the Sun is in this zodiac sector are November 23 - December 21.
This sign got its name from the constellation Sagittarius.

Initially, the sign of Sagittarius is depicted as a centaur, personifying a half-animal and half-human. Later, the Aryan culture changed the symbol to the Archer on a white horse. At present, the arrow and part of the bow have become the astrological symbol.

Sign Type: Fire

Sagittarius Planet: Jupiter

Lucky Color: Purple, Red, Pink

Metals - tin (from Jupiter)

Sagittarius Flowers: Narcissus

Sagittarius Stone: Turquoise, diamond, sapphire

The sign of Sagittarius - personifies "autumn", the time of withering of the element (element) Fire and, accordingly, gravitates towards one of the essences of this element - dryness.

The dominant type of temperament born under the sign of Sagittarius is choleric **, fortitude is high, especially perseverance and determination, however, manifestations of temperament at times can dominate over fortitude - "Sagittarians" in a temper, can do things dictated by emotions. But Sagittarius is not that choleric, with often changing moods and outbursts of emotions, he knows how to control his inner fire, directing it for the benefit of humanity.

Sagittarius is the most attractive sign of the Zodiac.
The people of this constellation are by nature outwardly very harmoniously built, which gives them every right to be called the most attractive.
In addition, they always watch their appearance, which once again emphasizes their beauty and attractiveness.

Sagittarians are direct, sincere, charming people. Those born under this sign are everyone's favorites, they worry about their position in society, they want to impress. They want to leave their mark on the earth.
More than anyone else, the centaur man longs to be a perfect person, often reaches his own in more mature years, sometimes not earlier than 60 years
Adult Sagittarius is a mature, complete sign.

Women are archers may be like Amazons, striving to be equal or superior to men in archery. I don’t want to scare anyone, but one Sagittarius lady is known, who amputated both her breasts for the sake of the opportunity to get into a Tibetan monastery and write a sensational article about the life of monks.

They despise all sorts of restrictions, are active and independent. They love to travel, read, collect.

The best quality of Sagittarius is absolutely irrepressible love of life. Sagittarians are always active, active, it is a pleasure to work with them, as they know how to charge good mood others.

However, Sagittarius' love of life can turn into ardor, even some rebelliousness. And then "from a conservative and calm person, he can turn almost into an adventurer - however, a nice and cheerful adventurer.