Sagittarius is the 9th astrological sign in the Zodiac in between Scorpio and Capricorn. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the modern 88 constellations. Its name in Latin means the archer and its symbol is an arrow. Sagittarius is the Zodiac sign for those born between November 22nd and December the 21st.
Epsilon Sagittarii (also known as Kaus Australis) is the brightest star in the Sagittarius constellation and the 36th brightest star in the sky. It is also Binary Star which is a system containing 2 or more stars that orbit a common barycentre). Epsilon Sagittarii is approximately 143 light years away from us here on Earth. It is a blue class B giant with an apparent magnitude of 1.79 and a luminosity 375 times that of our Sun.
Visibility
Sagittarius is a summer constellation and can be seen just above the southern horizon for those in the Northern Hemisphere from June to September. Sagittarius is the 15th largest constellation in the sky and occupies an area of 867 square degrees. It is also easily spotted in the night sky, as the brightest stars resemble the shape of a teapot! To help find Sagittarius in the night sky, use the following info –
- Declination – -25° 0′ 0″
- Right Ascension – 19h 0m 0s
- On the Map – +55° and -90°
- Best seen – In the Summer months in the Northern Hemisphere, right above the horizon.
Mythology
In Greek Mythology, Sagittarius or Chiron, was known as being a centaur, half horse and half human. Chiron was the son of Titan Cronos and one day, Chiron was accidentally shot with a poisoned arrow by Hercules. Chiron failed to heal himself, despite being a great physician. As Chiron was immortal, he could not die by the arrow, but he was in extreme pain from the poison on the arrow. Chiron wanted to die and gave up his immortality to and chose to replace Prometheus (who was punished by the gods for giving fire to man) in death. When Zeus, the king of the gods saw Chiron’s kindness, he immortalized him and placed him in the stars.
Get to know your Sagittarius friends
Do you have a Sagittarius friend? How well do you know them? Every Zodiac is believed to have a specific set of traits unique to their specific zodiac sign. Keep reading to learn more about the Sagittarius’ in your life!
- Strengths - Ambitious, Lucky, Moral, Optimistic, Enthusiastic, Open-minded, Versatile
- Weaknesses - Gluttonous, Lazy, Restless, Irresponsible, Blindly Optimistic, Tactless
- Ruling Planet – Jupiter
- Modality – Mutable
- Polarity – Active
- Element – Fire
- Tarot Card – Temperance
- Symbol – The Archer
Did you know that you can even name a star after someone and choose the constellation! Christmas is just around the corner, why not name a star after someone in the Sagittarius constellation?