Aquarius

Overview
Aquarius is a constellation of the zodiac, situated between Capricorns
and Pisces. Its name is Latin for "water-bearer" or "cup-bearer", and its
symbol is a representation of water. Aquarius is one of the oldest of
the recognized constellations along the zodiac (the sun's apparent
path). As a water-carrier, his fame goes back to the Babylonian
empire where his image was carved in stones. Vital information
about Aquarius was always included in the ancient star catalogs of
Ptolemy, Aratos, and Eudoxos. It is found in a region often called the
Sea due to its profusion of constellations with watery associations such
as Cetus the whale, Pisces the twin fish, Piscis Austrinus and Eridanus
the river.

Origin and Myth

The water bearer represented by Aquarius is the Ganymede.
According to the Greek mythology, Ganymede was the most
beautiful youth on the Earth. He was the son of the king of
troy. According to the story, once Zeus, the king of Greek Gods
spotted Ganymede while the latter was attending to his
father's flocks. When Zeus saw the beautiful and handsome
youth, he became enchanted with his looks. Therefore, he took
a form of the bird and whisked the youth away, towards
heaven. Zeus didn't want this beautiful youth to remain a mere
mortal hence, took him to heaven and immortalized him. From
then on, the Ganymede became the water bearer to the Gods
in the heaven.

On the other hand, according to some myths, Aquarius

represents great flood as it is located among other water
constellations like the Pisces and the Capricorn. Also, the time
in which this constellation is viewed coincides with the rainy
season and hence, it is symbolized by the water bearer or the
water carrier. The water bearer is also believed to be the one
who provided water to the farmlands in Egypt. Aquarius has
also been identified as the pourer of the waters that flooded
the Earth in the ancient Greek version of the Great Flood myth.
As such, the constellation Eridanus the river is sometimes
identified as a river being poured by Aquarius. However, in
spite of different cultures and theories, the one mentioned
 above (related to the Greek mythology) is the most popular
and widely applicable.

Significance
The Aquarius constellation is of specific
importance as it is the oldest constellation
known to people. The references and
information about this constellation can be
found in the works of Ptolemy. Aquarius is
best known to be in the zodiacs, the ring of
constellations that lines the ecliptic, which
is the apparent path of the Sun across the
celestial sphere over the course of the year.
In astronomy, the Sun is considered to be
in the sign Aquarius from January 20 to
February 19, and in astrology, from
February 15 to March 14. The
constellation is widely associated with the
qualities of refreshment, and subsequently
youth. The rainy season was regarded as a
period in which the land was refreshed by water, which had purifying qualities to cleanse away old sins and
prepare the land for new creativity. Our calendar still honours this period as one fit for purification and
cleansing, with February named after 'Februa' the Roman festival of purification. The month was marked for
activities connected to cleansing the home and the soul, culminating in a hilltop ceremony where priests
performed purification rites on young women by striking them with a goatskin thong to ensure fertility and easy
childbirth

Observation
The autumn or the month of October is considered as
the best time in the year to view this constellation.
The prominent stars present in the constellation
Aquarius are Alpha Aquarii, Beta Aquarii, Gamma
Aquarii, R Aquarii and Zeta Aquarii. The Saturn
Nebula is one of the biggest planetary nebula
observed in the sky. When viewed with a telescope, it
can be clearly seen to resemble Saturn. It is difficult to
view the Aquarius constellation with your naked eye
as it is one of the faintest constellations in the sky.
This constellation can only be viewed with the help of
a powerful horoscope.

Artistic Depiction of Aquarius

Ptolemy listed the stars in the shoulder, face and left

hand as exerting an influence like Saturn and Mercury. This includes Albali, a 4th magnitude star in the left
hand of the figure. Of the remaining stars, those in the stream of water are like Saturn and Jupiter, and those in
the thighs like Mercury and Saturn. The latter includes Ancha, traditionally located on the hips. The 3rd
magnitude star Skat is situated on the right shin but is considered to have a Saturn/Jupiter nature because of its
proximity to the stream.

Notable Stars
Alpha Aquarii (Sadalmelik) - A giant star with a
diameter perhaps 100 times that of the Sun. It is located
760 light years from Earth and shines at magnitude 2.95.
Beta Aquarii (Sadalsund) - The brightest star of the
constellation, shining at magnitude 2.9. Its computed
distance is about 600 light years from Earth.
Gamma Aquarii (Sadachbia) - A spectroscopic binary
with a period of 58.1 days. It is located 158 light years
from Earth and shines at magnitude 3.8. These figures
lead to an actual luminosity of about 25 suns.
Maybe you noticed that the three stars described
above share similar names. Their Arabic names translate
into "The luck of the king", "The luck of lucks", and
"The lucky star of hidden things". The origin of the
names is quite lost to history, but the next times you
wish on a star choose one of th ese three.
Zeta Aquarii - Zeta is the central star of the of the Y-
shaped asterism that makes up the water jar of Aquarius.
It is a close pair of 4th-magnitude stars 1.7 arcseconds apart.
R Aquarii - An interesting variable star that reaches the 6th magnitude at maximum and has a period of little
over a year. R Aquarii is a symbiotic star system, an interacting pair consisting of a variable red giant and a
white dwarf companion.

Notable Deep-Sky Objects

M2 - A bright globular cluster visible with the naked eye on a dark sky.
Through binoculars or a small telescope it appears as a small hazy patch
with a diameter of 7 arcminutes.
M72 - A faint globular cluster located in the western part of the
constellation. It is unimpressive in small telescopes, appearing as a pale
nebulous patch of light.
M73 - This object is a small asterism composed of four stars with
magnitudes between 10.5 and
12. Seen with a small telescope
M73 looks like a tiny
nebulosity, and this is probably
why Messier included this object in his catalog.
NGC 7293 (The Helix Nebula) - The closest of all planetary
nebulae, lying at a distance of 400 light years from Earth. To find the
nebula, start from Fomalhaut (Alpha Piscis Austrinus) and move your
telescope 11 degrees northwest to 5th-magnitude 47 Aquarii. From
this star slide two degrees east to Upsilon Aquarii, and you're almost
there. The Helix is just one degree west of this star.
The Saturn Nebula - One of the brightest planetary nebulae in the sky, first observed by Sir William Herschel
in 1782. It was named the Saturn Nebula because when observed with larger telescopes its shape resembles that
of the planet Saturn.

Notable Meteor Showers

 The Eta Aquarids shower is active between April 21 and May 12, from a radiant located in the north
central portion of the constellation. Maximum activity occurs on May 5th, when the shower produces
about 20 meteors per hour for observers in the northern hemisphere and 50 for observers in the southern
hemisphere.
 The shower of the Delta Aquarids is divided into two
sub-showers separated by 15 degrees of declination. The
southern Delta Aquarids are active between July 14 and
August 18, with a maximum of 20 meteors per hour on
July 29th. The duration of the northern Delta Aquarids
shower covers the period of July 16 to September 10.
The maximum occurs on August 13th when ten meteors
per hour can be seen on a dark sky, away from city
lights.
 The Iota Aquarids also show two distinct showers. The
southern Iota Aquarids occur during July 1 to September
18, and the August 6th maximum produces about eight meteors per hour. The northern Iota Aquarids
have duration from August 11 to September 10, with maximum activity on August 25th when the
shower produces five to ten meteors per hour.

Astrological perspective of
constellation Aquarius
Aquarius is one of the oldest constellations in the Zodiac. In astrology,
Aquarius is considered a "masculine", positive (extrovert) sign. It is also
considered an air sign and is one of four fixed signs. Aquarius has been
traditionally ruled by the planet Saturn, and, since its discovery, Uranus has
been considered a modern ruler of this sign. Being the eleventh sign of the
zodiac, Aquarius is associated with the astrological eleventh house. Some
Tropical astrologers believe that the 20th century is the Age of
Aquarius while majority of astrologers think we will enter the
Aquarian age in the 22nd century. It would be interesting to know that
each age is approximately 2200 years long.

Aquarius Constellation Quick Facts

The following are some quick facts about the constellation Aquarius.

 Abbreviation: Aqr
 Genitive: Aquarii
 Area acquired in sky: 980 square degrees
 Right ascension: 23 h
 Declination: -15 degrees
 Latitudes visible at: between +65 degrees and -90 degrees
 The best time to view: 21:00 p.m. in the month of October
 Nearest star: EZ Aquarii (11.3 light years away)
 Brightest star: Beta Aquarii (magnitude of 2.90)
 Largest star: The Alpha Aquarii