The Constellation Scorpius

Scorpius, more commonly known as Scorpio in astrology, lies between Libra and Sagittarius on the Sun's journey of the ecliptic. Although the constellation is seldom called Scorpius officially, it is the correct name. The sun is only within the bounds of Scorpius for 6 days from November the 23rd until the 28th.Scorpius is Latin for … Continue reading The Constellation Scorpius

The Constellation Libra

For the reputation that Libra has amongst astrologists, witch doctors and fortune tellers as a fire sign, Libra is actually very faint in the night sky with no first magnitude stars. Libra, Latin for "weighing scales" has been known since ancient times. In Mesopotamia, the Sun God of the people Shamash was the patron of … Continue reading The Constellation Libra

The Constellation Cancer

Cancer, also known as "the dark sign", is a medium sized constellation surrounded by Gemini to the West, Leo, Canis Minor and Hydra. The Brightest star in Cancer is Beta Cancri which only has an apparent magnitude of 3.5. So it's brightest star isn't overly bright and neither are the rest of them hence the … Continue reading The Constellation Cancer

The Constellation Gemini.

Gemini, known as the "Heavenly Twins", is one of the easiest constellations to recognise with over 80 stars visible without a telescope. For astronomy it is one of the most examined constellations due to its diversity. It is rich with various types of stars, galaxies, meteor showers and planetary nebulae. In Greek mythology, Castor was … Continue reading The Constellation Gemini.

The Constellation Taurus

Taurus, the bull, is one of the most prominent constellations in the night sky. Not only is it referenced in almost all classical mythology, it dates back to the early Bronze Age! Taurus is likely to be the first constellation noted give its prominence and was once known as the bull of heaven. In Roman … Continue reading The Constellation Taurus

The Constellation Aries

Aries is located in the Northern Celestial Hemisphere with Pisces to the east and Taurus to the west. Aries comes from the Latin word for Ram. Aries itself is a mid sized constellation ranked 44th in size and it takes up around 1.1% of the celestial sphere we can see. The largest constellation title belongs … Continue reading The Constellation Aries

The Constellation Pisces

The name Pisces comes from the Latin plural for fish and easily seen with the naked eye. It lies between Aquarius to the west and Aries to the east. Pisces was known in ancient times and the ancient Greeks associated Pisces with Aphrodite and Eros. To escape the demon Typhon, they jumped into the sea … Continue reading The Constellation Pisces

The Constellation Aquarius

The Water Carrier Aquarius is one of the oldest known constellations. In the 2nd century 48 were observed and noted by Ptolemy although with modern telescopes there are now a total of 88. Aquarius is located in a region of the sky we call "The Sea" because its neighbouring constellations are; Cetus the whale, Pieces … Continue reading The Constellation Aquarius

Signs Of The Zodiac Series

I admit, last weeks post was slightly shorter than most other posts I’ve ever written. Following on from this I have decided to complete a series on the signs of the zodiac from the point of view of astronomy. The Zodiac are the star groups and systems can observe from Earth depending on the time … Continue reading Signs Of The Zodiac Series