Aquarius (constellation) facts for kids
| Constellation | |
List of stars in Aquarius
|
|
| Abbreviation | Aqr |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Aquarii |
| Pronunciation | genitive |
| Symbolism | the Water-Bearer |
| Right ascension | 23 |
| Declination | −15 |
| Quadrant | SQ4 |
| Area | 980 sq. deg. (10th) |
| Main stars | 10, 22 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
97 |
| Stars with planets | 11 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 2 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 7 |
| Brightest star | β Aqr (Sadalsuud) (2.91m) |
| Messier objects | 3 |
| Meteor showers | March Aquariids Eta Aquariids Delta Aquariids Iota Aquariids |
| Bordering constellations |
Pisces Pegasus Equuleus Delphinus Aquila Capricornus Piscis Austrinus Sculptor Cetus |
| Visible at latitudes between +65° and −90°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of October. |
|
Aquarius is a famous group of stars, also known as a constellation. It's part of the Zodiac family of constellations. Its name means "water-carrier" or "cup-carrier" in Latin. You can usually spot Aquarius in the sky between the constellations Capricornus and Pisces. Its symbol looks like two wavy lines (
Unicode ♒), which stands for water.
Contents
Aquarius: The Water-Bearer Constellation
Aquarius is one of the 88 modern constellations. An ancient astronomer named Ptolemy first listed it long ago. It's often shown as a person pouring water from a jar. This water usually flows towards the mouth of a fish, which represents the constellation Pisces.
The Story of Ganymede
In ancient myths, Aquarius is linked to a young man named Ganymede. He was the son of King Tros. One story says that while Ganymede was looking after his father’s sheep, he was taken by the Goddess of the Dawn.
Another version of the story tells that Zeus, the king of the gods, was so impressed by Ganymede's beauty that he sent his pet eagle to carry Ganymede to Mount Olympus. There, Ganymede became a special servant to the gods, serving them drinks. This is why Aquarius is known as the "Water-Bearer."
Aquarius in the Sky
You can find Aquarius in the night sky after the constellation Capricornus. It is located south of the constellation Pegasus and north of Pisces. The brightest star in Aquarius is called Sadalsuud, which means "luck of lucks."
Deep-Sky Objects in Aquarius
Aquarius is home to some amazing deep-sky objects that astronomers love to study. These are objects that are not stars or planets, but much larger structures in space.
- The Helix Nebula is a beautiful cloud of gas and dust. It looks like a giant eye in space.
- The Saturn Nebula is another stunning nebula. It gets its name because it looks a bit like the planet Saturn with its rings, but it's actually a cloud of gas left over from a dying star.
Images for kids
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A representation of Aquarius printed in 1825 as part of Urania's Mirror. It also shows a now-obsolete constellation, Ballon Aerostatique.
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The green bean galaxy J2240 lies in the constellation of Aquarius.
See also
In Spanish: Acuario (constelación) para niños
