Constellation Sagittarius

From LoveToKnow Horoscopes

About Constellation Sagittarius

Constellation Sagittarius can be observed from the northern and southern hemispheres between June and early September. The Romans named this group of stars Sagittarius from the Latin word for arrow, Sagitta.

A super massive black hole is located in Sagittarius.

In the Eye of the Beholder

Many modern stargazers believe the constellation Sagittarius actually resembles a teapot instead of the Greek centaur aiming his bow and arrow toward Scorpio.

Follow the Milky Way South

The constellation Sagittarius is compromised of bright stars that make it easy to observe. You can find it in the center of the Milky Way just between Capricorn (horned male goat) and Ophiuchus (snake-holder).

Abundance of Nebulae

You will discover an abundance of nebulae and open star clusters with Sagittarius.

Nebulae: This is the plural word for the Latin word, Nebula, which means cloud. A nebula is a cloud of hydrogen gas, plasma and dust found in outer space.

Open Star Clusters: Clusters are composed of thousands of stars that were created within the same giant molecular cloud. These stars are bound together by gravity and are only found in spiral and irregular galaxies where there’s still star formation activity.

You can use any of the following as astronomical points of reference in locating the constellation Sagittarius:

M-8 - The Lagoon Nebula
M-17 - The Omega or Swan Nebula
M-20 - The Trifid Nebula
M-22 - Globular cluster
M-24 - The Small Sagittarius Star Cloud

Black Hole Connection

Sagittarius A* is one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way that's located in the center of the constellation Sagittarius. It’s believed to be the location of what scientists call a super massive black hole. However, scientists can't view Sgr A* clearly because of massive clouds of cosmic dust that cloak the Milky Way.

Associated Lore

The Archer

In Latin, Sagittarius means archer and is the ninth astrological sign in the zodiac wheel. This masculine, mutable, fire sign is ruled by Jupiter. The icon symbol for Sagittarius is an arrow.

Mythology

The Archer was a centaur which was a half-man and half-horse Greek mythological creature. The centaur's torso was human while the lower body was that of a horse. The Greek mythological hero, Chiron, was said to be the immortal king of the centaurs. However, some versions of the myth say he was not truly a centaur.

Chiron was born out of wedlock to the Greek god, Saturn, and the sea nymph, Philyra. Saturn would transform into a horse whenever he wanted to be with his mistress, Philyra. When Philyra became pregnat with Chiron, the baby was born half-human and half-horse. Chiron was regarded as a birth defect, not a centaur. His mother abandoned him and he grew up alone until Apollo took him in. This may account for Chiron being so different from the other robust, drinking, wild centaurs.

Chiron became a reputed sage. In fact, he was considered so wise the Greek kings sent their sons to train with him in preparation for their future roles as kings. Hercules was one of his students and accidentally shot Chiron with a poison arrow during a misunderstanding with the centaur tribe.

Chiron was unable to heal his wound and endured great suffering. In his quest to find a cure, he became the father of the healing arts. Eventually, he asked the gods to let him replace Prometheus. (The gods had condemned Prometheus to an eternity chained to a rock where every day an eagle would tear out his liver and eat it. Every night, Prometheus’s liver would grow back. This was Prometheus’s punishment from taking fire from the Underworld and giving it to the humans. Hercules had pleaded with his father, Zeus (Jupiter) to release Prometheus should he find someone willing to take the condemned man’s place.)

Chiron felt that by taking Prometheus’s place, he could transform something tragic into something positive with a beneficial result to mankind. Zeus (Jupiter) exalted Chiron into the stars to honor the centaur’s noble spirit. Chiron became the archer with his arrow pointed toward Scorpio’s heart, ever watchful to make sure Scorpio could never harm anyone.

Astrology: Sagittarius

In astrology, Sagittarius is the ninth sign in the zodiac wheel. If you were born between November 22 and December 21, then your sun sign is Sagittarius.

Traits and Characteristics

Sagittarians are very loyal friends. They are full of energy and are always thinking. Sagittarians are freedom-lovers, second only to Geminis.

Other traits:

Positive thinkers
Adventurous
Athletic
High moral code
Risk-takers
Optimistic – Often blindly
Courageous
Sense of Justice
Can be blunt

Constellation Sagittarius: More Than Myth

The uniqueness of the constellation Sagittarius and its cosmic mysteries are appropriately assigned to the intriguing mythological creature, Chiron, the Archer.

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