The constellation Aquarius, the water bearer, is visible in the fall in the northern hemisphere and in the spring in the southern hemisphere. It can be seen at latitudes between 65 and -90 degrees. It is a large constellation covering 980 square degrees of sky. This makes it the tenth largest constellation in the night sky.
It is bordered by the constellations Aquila, Capricorn, Cetus, Delphinus, Equuleus, Pegasus, Piscis Austrinus, and Sculptor. It shares an area of sky with other water-related constellations such as Cetus, the sea monster, Pisces, the fish, and Eridanus, the river. Aquarius is one of the 13 constellations of the zodiac. This means that it lies along the path that the Sun travels across the sky during the year. It is also the point of origin of the annual Delta Aquarids meteor shower.
Aquarius is one of the 48 constellations listed by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. It is depicted as a man pouring water from a bucket into the mouth of the southern fish, represented by the constellation Piscis Austrinus. This ancient constellation has its roots in several cultures. In Babylonian mythology, Aquarius was associated with the god Ea. The ancient Egyptians believed it represented the god of the Nile. In Greek mythology, Aquarius was Ganymede, a young Trojan who was taken from Olympus by Zeus to serve as cupbearer to the gods.
How to find the constellation Aquarius
Aquarius is visible from almost anywhere on the planet. It is bordered by several other constellations: Cetus (the sea monster), Pisces, Capricorn, Aquila, and Pegasus. Aquarius lies along the zodiac and the ecliptic.
The history of Aquarius
The constellation Aquarius was once called La Grande (or GU LA in the Babylonian language). Aquarius was linked to the god Ea, a figure who appears frequently in Babylonian artifacts. Ea was often associated with the floods that regularly visited the Babylonian part of the Middle East.
Like the Babylonians, the ancient Egyptians saw the constellation as a god associated with floods. The Hindus saw the star pattern as a water jug, and in ancient China, the constellation was interpreted as a jar of water with a stream flowing from it.
The ancient Greeks had many stories about Aquarius, but most associated it with Ganymede, a Greek hero who ascended Mount Olympus to serve as cupbearer to the gods. This representation as a water bearer continues to this day.
The stars of Aquarius
In the official IAU chart of Aquarius, the figure of the water bearer is accompanied by other stars that exist in this region. The brightest star is called Alpha Aquarii and, like Beta Aquarii, is a yellow supergiant star. They are G-type stars and are several times more massive than the Sun. Alpha Aquarii also has the name Sadalmelik, while Beta is also called Sadalsuud.
One of the most fascinating stars in this constellation is R Aquarii, a variable star. R Aquarii is made up of a pair of stars: a white dwarf and a variable star, which orbit each other once every 44 years. As they circle their common center of gravity, the white dwarf member draws material from its partner. Eventually, some of that material breaks away from the white dwarf, causing the star to brighten considerably. The pair has a nebula of material surrounding it called Cederblad 211. The material in the nebula may be associated with the periodic outbursts experienced by this pair of stars.
Avid meteor shower watchers may be familiar with the three showers that appear to emanate from Aquarius each year. The first is the Eta Aquariids, which occurs on May 5 and 6. This is the strongest of the three and can produce up to 35 meteors per hour. The meteors in this shower come from material shed by Halley’s Comet as it travels through the solar system.
The Delta Aquariids peak twice: once on July 29 and again on August 6. It’s not as active as its sister shower in May, but it’s still worth checking out. The weakest of the three is the Iota Aquariids, which peaks on August 6 each year.
The brightest stars
The brightest star in the constellation Aquarius is a rare yellow supergiant known as Beta Aquarii, also known as Sadalsuud. It is 600 light-years away and has a magnitude of 2.9, which is low.
Alpha Aquarii, or Sadalmelik, is a giant star located 760 light-years from Earth and has a magnitude of 2.95. Located 158 light-years from Earth, gamma Aquarii, or Sadachbia, has a magnitude of 3.8. Zeta Aquarii is at the center of the Y-shaped configuration that forms Aquarius’ water jar. The other stars in the asterism that form the jar are gamma, pi, and eta Aquarii. The stream of water consists of more than 20 stars, ending at Fomalhaut.
Aquarius includes a number of planetary nebulae, including NGC 7009, one of the brightest in the sky. Also known as the Saturn Nebula because it has a ring that resembles Saturn, it was first observed in 1782 by Sir William Herschel, a British astronomer born in Germany. Aquarius also boasts the closest of all planetary nebulae—NGC 7293, or the Helix Nebula—which is only 400 light-years from Earth.
Deep sky objects in Aquarius
Aquarius is not close to the plane of the galaxy where many deep sky objects exist, but it nevertheless has a treasure trove of objects to explore. Observers with good telescopes and binoculars can find galaxies, globular clusters, and some planetary nebulae. The globular cluster M2 can be seen with the naked eye under good conditions, and a telescope reveals many more details.
Globular cluster M2 in Aquarius.
It is also worth exploring a pair of planetary nebulae called the Saturn Nebula and the Helix Nebula. These are the remains of stars in the process of dying. In the not-too-distant past, they gently pushed their outer atmospheres out into space, leaving behind beautiful glowing clouds surrounding the remains of their parent stars. In a few thousand years, the clouds will dissipate, leaving behind a pair of cold white dwarfs.
For a more challenging observation activity, observers can look for the galaxy NGC 7727. It is located about 76 million light-years away from us. Professional astronomers are studying long streams of gas emanating from the galaxy, which is classified as a “peculiar” galaxy due to its strange shape. NGC 7727 is probably in the final stages of a galaxy merger and will eventually become a large elliptical galaxy in the distant figure.
Mythology of the Aquarius constellation
In astrology, which is not a science, Aquarius is the 11th sign of the zodiac and represents those born between January 20 and February 18. The Greeks associated this constellation with Ganymede, the cupbearer to the gods. According to tradition, Ganymede was a handsome young man who was the object of Zeus’ affection and was taken to Mount Olympus, where he served as cupbearer to the gods and was granted eternal youth.
Aquarius also has several meanings and associations in other cultures. Babylonian astronomers identified the constellation as representing the god Ea, or “The Great One,” who was often depicted with an overflowing vessel. In ancient Egypt, the water bearer’s jug was said to cause the Nile spring to overflow when it was dipped into the river. Chinese astronomers saw the “stream” as soldiers.
Quarius is depicted as a young man pouring water (or alternatively, nectar) from an amphora into the mouth of the southern fish, represented by the constellation Piscis Austrinus.
Aquarius is generally associated with Ganymede, the son of King Tros, in Greek mythology. Ganymede was a beautiful young Trojan who caught the attention of Zeus, prompting the god to disguise himself as an eagle (represented by the constellation Aquila) and carry him off to Olympus to serve as cupbearer to the gods.
In another story, the constellation represents Deucalion, son of Prometheus, who survived the great flood along with his wife Pyrrha. In Babylonian mythology, Aquarius is identified as GU.LA (the great one), the god Ea himself, and in Egyptian tales, the constellation was said to represent the god of the Nile.
Name and meaning
In Greek mythology, Aquarius was associated with the bearer of the gods’ cup, known for serving wine or water to Zeus. For his role, he was immortalized in the stars. In the ancient Greek version of the Flood Myth, Aquarius was also identified as the one who unleashed the waters that flooded the Earth. As such, the constellation Eridanus was sometimes identified as a river poured out by Aquarius.
It may also, together with the constellation Pegasus, be part of the origin of the myth of the Mares of Diomedes, which is part of the Twelve Labors of Heracles. Its association with the overflowing of rivers, and the nearby constellation Capricorn, may be the source of the myth of Auge’s stable, which forms another of the labors.
Aquarius is one of the oldest constellations recognized along the zodiac, the apparent path of the sun across the sky. It is located in a region often called “The Sea” because of its profusion of aquatic constellations, such as Cetus, Pisces, Eridanus, etc. Sometimes, the river Eridanus is depicted as flowing from Aquarius’ watering can.
