http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellation_list.html
Mythology:
Aquarius was once believed to have been a boy named Ganymede. Ganymede was an extremely handsome mortal. The king of the gods, Zeus, decided to bring this beautiful young boy up to Mount Olympus to live eternally with the gods. Zeus made Ganymede the “Waterboy” or waiter of the gods, and was hired to pour water and sweet nectar for all of the gods on Mount Olympus. In return for Ganymede’s being taken prematurely to Mount Olympus, Zeus granted him eternity in the night sky. that is why the stars of Aquarius make the outline of a young man pouring water from a jar.
Star Facts:
1. Some of the stars within Aquarius are:
Alpha Aquarii
Beta Aquarii
Delta Aquarii
Zeta Aquarii
Pi
Eta
2. Zeta Aquarii is actually a binary star made up of two twin white stars
that orbit around each other every 760 years.
3. The Arabs believed that some of the stars that make up Aquarius are
actually “Lucky Stars”.
4. The Aquarius Constellation is made up of 13 different stars.
5. One star, Alpha Aquarii, is a supergiant (very massive) star, but when
you look at it, it seems very small.
6. The brightest star in the Aquarius Constellation is Alpha Aquarii.
Other Facts
1. The Helix Nebula is found within the outer reaches of the Aquarius Constellation. This nebula is one of the closest to the sun. =>300 light years away
2. Aquarius is one of the Watery Constellations. Others include Pisces, Capricornus, Cetus, Piscis Austrinus, and Eridanus.
3. The Sun passes through Aquarius from late February to mid-March.
CLASS VI DIRECTORY
