Label the constellations of the zodiac. Zodiac constellations. e - Zodiac sign - Leo

Constellations vs Zodiac Signs

The stars which may be taken as indicators of the periodic shifting of the equinoxes naturally lie near the ecliptic; and these stars—indeed, all stars—have been grouped into "constellations" by the observer over the millennia. The names, ideas about the size and boundaries of such constellations differed in different civilizations, but some significant parallelism can be established between different definitions of constellations, if only the comparison is not carried too far.

Obviously, the tendency to group stars into constellations and give them names (and not just animals) corresponds to human demands in all cultures. This may be a projection of the concept of animal "totems" (common in archaic tribal societies) onto the astronomical sphere. Even in Greek mythology, we see heroes, or personages of particular importance, exalted in the constellations in the sky. Similarly, the Catholic Church has canonized its saints and assigned them "holidays" in the ritual of the sacred year.

The sky for ancient communities was a great symbol of order and creative activity. The stars and planets were seen by them as the bodies of the gods. The sky as a whole represented the "world of form", the world of the creator gods and the hierarchies of the divine mind. The whole concept of astronomical constellations has, I am sure, a mythological origin. it not belittles its significance, since myths are extremely powerful factors in the development and formation of human consciousness. And modern science itself contains many myths that are now referred to as prerequisites, postulates, or perhaps "universal constants." The permanence and universality (of postulates) is a matter of faith, even if the values ​​to which these "constants" refer are based on proven facts. Note that these facts were proved under the conditions existing environment on Earth today, but it is not the same always and everywhere.

However, a big problem may arise here regarding the twelve zodiac constellations - groups of stars found on both sides of the ecliptic, and this problem is related to the definition of their boundaries. Not only did these boundaries appear to have changed repeatedly, but according to various occult traditions, their number was not always twelve. Some civilizations for example had a "lunar zodiac" divided into 27 or 28 "houses" before they had a "solar zodiac". There is no real reason to believe that all zodiac constellations should be of equal size (that is, correspond to 30 degrees of longitude).

The boundaries of the constellations were approved conditionally in 1925 at the congress of the International Astronomical Union, and these constellations are not equal to each other. And they include sections of the ecliptic that are not equal in length. So, the constellation of Scorpio, the Sun passes in just a week, and the constellation of Virgo in a month and a half.

SignsZodiac and constellations Zodiac is two completely different concepts. They have nothing in common other than names. What we call in astrology the zodiac sign, - differs in principle from the concept of constellations. The zodiacal sign is simply one-twelfth of the ecliptic - that is, a fraction of the Sun's (earth's orbit, in the modern heliocentric system) apparent annual path of 30 degrees. The zodiac sign belongs tropical zodiac, while the thirteen zodiac constellations belong to the so-called astronomical zodiac. The Tropical Zodiac is measured in degrees of longitude, and the measurement begins at the point where the Sun crosses the astronomical equatorial plane in a northerly direction towards the vernal equinox.

At the vernal equinox, the Sun's longitude is 0° and the declination is also 0° (the "declination" measures the distance of any celestial body north or south of the celestial equator). This means that at the vernal equinox, sunset occurs exactly in the west, and day and night are of equal length, after which the days become longer. At the point of the autumnal equinox, the longitude of the Sun is 180 °, and the declination is 0 °, but in this case the luminary crosses the astronomical equator in a southerly direction. Days and nights are of equal duration, but from now on the night will increase.

Zodiac(zodiacal circle, from Greek δῷνλ - living being)

in astronomy- a belt on the celestial sphere along ecliptic(read below), along which the visible paths of the Sun, Moon, planets and asteroids pass.
Ecliptic constellations: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. Total 13.
Astrology: the most famous zodiac, consisting of twelve zodiac signs of 30 °, formed in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. in the Middle East. The names of the signs are associated with the zodiac constellations, which in that era corresponded to them.

The sun moves (relative to the earth) almost strictly along the ecliptic, and the rest of the luminaries in their movement along the zodiac periodically move north or south of the ecliptic. The ecliptic inclination of the orbits of the Moon and visible planets does not exceed a few degrees (with the exception of Pluto, Eris, Ceres and some asteroids, which, having a large orbital inclination, sometimes go beyond the Zodiac.

If we say that the planet is in the sign of Aries, then we mean its astrological position. If we say that the planet is in the constellation Aries, then we mean its astronomical position.

The sun moves (relative to the earth) almost strictly along the ecliptic, and the rest of the luminaries in their movement along the zodiac periodically move north or south of the ecliptic. The ecliptic inclination of the orbits of the Moon and visible planets does not exceed a few degrees, but there are exceptions - these are Pluto / Charon, Eris, Ceres and a fairly large number of different asteroids (for example, asteroids of the centaur group, damocloids, etc ....). All of them have a sufficient inclination of the orbit to periodically go beyond the ecliptic constellations (but not symbolic signs of the zodiac!).

For example, the binary system Pluto/Charon never visits the constellations Aries and Pisces, actually ignores the constellation Scorpio (a very insignificant location for it in time), but in addition to the other 10 constellations of the ecliptic, it “taxis” FOR and passes through the constellations: Cetus, Orion, Hair Veronica, Northern Crown (very slightly), Bootes (very slightly). That is, there are 16 constellations in total.

Example: 1970 The yellow line is the ecliptic, the red line is the path of Pluto/Charon. It can be seen that Pluto / Charon does not move along the path of the ecliptic, because its orbit has a large inclination. At the same time, his "path" is shifted and for this time he falls out of the zone of the constellations of the ecliptic and is in the constellation "Veronica's Hair".

The orbit of Uranus, for example, has a slight inclination and it always moves strictly along the ecliptic without falling out of the zone of the ecliptic constellations.

Examples of crossing the ecliptic by the following objects:
1. Pluto/Charon: Gemini 104 gr. - Sagittarius 285 gr.
2. Eris: Aries 290 gr. - Virgo 212 gr.
3. Ceres: Gemini 92 gr. - Sagittarius 272 gr.
4. Orcus/Vanf: Taurus 79 gr. - Sagittarius 259 gr.

Traditionally, the width of the zodiacal belt is considered conditionally equal to 9 ° on both sides of the ecliptic. That is, any astronomical object with an inclination of more9 °, on a certain path of its following, it will fall out of the zone of the ecliptical constellations.

On the picture: zodiacal astrological a circle of 12 signs of the zodiac, each 30 degrees (in this case, tropical, marked in green) andastronomical a circle of 13 constellations with different lengths (indicated in pink). The arrow indicates the precessional movement. It can be seen that the vernal equinox point is currently shifted and is not withinconstellationsAries, and already in the constellation Pisces. There was a time, about 2000 years ago, when the Sun at the vernal equinox pointed to the boundary between the constellations Aries and Pisces; that is, at the vernal equinox of that time, the Earth, the Sun, and the border between the constellations Aries and Pisces formed a straight line. Then it so happened that the sign of Aries (30 degrees of longitude after the vernal equinox) and the constellation of Aries coincided - that is, there was no confusion between the zodiac signs and constellations. Butin subsequent centuries due toprecession (read below) the stars and constellations drifted along the grid of signs tied to the ecliptic, so that at present most of the astronomical zodiac constellations are projected onto the next sign of the zodiac.
At the present time, the day of the vernal equinox falls on March 20, that is, it falls on the day the countdown began symbolic sign Aries - 0 gr.

The astronomical circle (row) of constellations is also called astronomical zodiac (not to be confused with the sidereal zodiac).

If for the tropical zodiac the reference point (0 * Aries) coincides with the apparent position of the Sun on the first day of astronomical spring, that is, with vernal equinox point., then for the sidereal, which is used in Vedic astrology, the reference point (0 * Aries) is fixed, as it is tied to fixed star of the first magnitude Spike. The signs of the sidereal zodiac partly correspond to the astronomical constellations of the same name, partly because the constellation Ophiuchus is not used (as in the tropical zodiac). fixed sidereal signs of the zodiac. Therefore, the tropical zodiac is also called "mobile" or abstract, symbolic, and the sidereal zodiac takes into account precession and is based on the position of the Earth relative to the stars. And the tropical zodiac does not take into account precession and is based on the position of the Earth relative to the Sun, that is, on the change of seasons.

The picture already shows a comparison of the astronomical, sidereal (outer) and tropical (inner) zodiac:

The sun in the constellations of the ecliptic and the signs of the zodiac.

Ecliptical coordinates of the boundaries of the constellations:

The ecliptic (in yellow), the 13 constellations of the ecliptic and some adjacent inner and outer constellations.

Ecliptic(from lat. (linea) ecliptica, from other Greek. ἔθιεηςηο - eclipse), great circlecelestial sphere(read below), along which the apparent annual movement of the Sun occurs (the apparent path of the Sun). The ecliptic passes through the zodiac constellations and the constellation Ophiuchus.

The ecliptic is of fundamental importance in astrology, most of the schools of this occult discipline include the interpretation of the positions of the heavenly bodies in the signs of the zodiac, that is, they consider their positions precisely on the ecliptic. Also important for most schools of astrology, the angular distances between the luminaries in the vast majority of cases are determined in astrology, taking into account only their ecliptic longitude, and in this sense Aspects are "resonances" not so much between the real positions of the luminaries on the celestial sphere, but actually between their ecliptic projections, that is between points on the ecliptic- their ecliptic longitudes.

Celestial sphere- an imaginary sphere of arbitrary radius onto which celestial bodies are projected: it serves to solve various astrometric problems. The eye of the observer is taken as the center of the celestial sphere; in this case, the observer can be both on the surface of the Earth and at other points in space (for example, he can be referred to the center of the Earth). For a terrestrial observer, the rotation of the celestial sphere reproduces the daily movement of the luminaries in the sky.

The concept of the celestial sphere arose in ancient times; it was based on the visual impression of the existence of a domed firmament. This impression is due to the fact that, as a result of the enormous remoteness of the celestial bodies, the human eye is not able to assess the differences in the distances to them, and they appear to be equally distant. Among the ancient peoples, this was associated with the presence of a real sphere that bounds the whole world and carries numerous stars on its surface. Thus, in their view, the celestial sphere was the most important element of the universe. With the development of scientific knowledge, such a view of the celestial sphere fell away. However, the geometry of the celestial sphere laid down in antiquity, as a result of development and improvement, has received a modern form, in which it is used in astrometry. world axis- an imaginary line passing through the center of the world, around which the celestial sphere rotates. The axis of the world intersects with the surface of the celestial sphere at two points - north pole of the world and south pole of the world. The rotation of the celestial sphere occurs counterclockwise around the north pole, when viewed from the inside of the celestial sphere.

Celestial equator- ba large circle of the celestial sphere, the plane of which is perpendicular to the axis of the world. The celestial equator divides the celestial sphere into two hemispheres:northern and southern.

The two points where the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator are called the equinoxes. AT vernal equinox point The sun in its annual movement passes from the southern hemisphere of the celestial sphere to the northern one; in point of the autumnal equinox from the northern hemisphere to the southern. The two points on the ecliptic that are 90° apart from the equinoxes and thus the farthest from the celestial equator are called the solstice points. Summer solstice point located in the northern hemisphere winter solstice point- in the southern hemisphere. These four points are denoted by zodiac symbols corresponding to the constellations in which they were at the time of Hipparchus: the spring equinox - the sign of Aries (♈), the autumn equinox - the sign of Libra (♎), the winter solstice - the sign of Capricorn (♑), the summer solstice - the sign of Cancer (♋)

Axis of the ecliptic- the diameter of the celestial sphere, perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. The axis of the ecliptic intersects with the surface of the celestial sphere at two points - north ecliptic pole, lying in the northern hemisphere, and south ecliptic pole located in the southern hemisphere.

As a result precession of the equinoxes - processions(read below) these points have shifted and are now in other constellations.

*

We understand the path of the apparent annual movement of the Sun in the sky by observing the various stars that appear on the horizon week after week before sunrise and after sunset. In other words, it is possible to trace the annual path of the Sun against the background of "fixed" stars, accepting the fixity of the situation (that is, neglecting the small displacements of individual stars in outer space). However, the line of intersection of the equator and the ecliptic moves very slowly. It follows from this that the Sun overtakes this line in the course of its movement along the ecliptic. The position of this line at a certain moment of the year (“the equinoxes”) shifts relative to the fixed stars from year to year. The change in position is slow, a little over 50 seconds per year, or one degree over a 72-year period (slightly less). Thus, the equinoxes return to the same point on the ecliptic, and (theoretically at least) to the same star, after approximately 25.868 years. We divide the entire period by 12, and we get the duration of any of the twelve precessional eras. Without a doubt, we are now at the very end of the Age of Pisces, and since the movement of the equinoxes is "retrograde" (that is, in the opposite direction to the movement of the Sun and Moon), the next period will be the Age of Aquarius.

To describe the spiral movement of the north pole, we have to speak of polar stars, because if we want to clearly imagine the movement, it must be related to some relatively fixed point in the sky. Stars do move, but their movement is so slow that for rough practical purposes we give them the name "fixed stars". The planets, by contrast, move very quickly across the sky; so much so that a primitive man, looking at the evening sky performance, called them "wandering stars." For the same reason, when trying to establish and measure the slow movement of the equinoxes, it is necessary to correlate the changes with the apparent "stationary" system of landmarks.

This means that in our time, when the Sun has a longitude of 0° (that is, it crosses the astronomical equator from south to north, and the sunset point will now begin to move towards the northwest), it does not coincide with the same "fixed star", with which coincided during the spring equinox two thousand years ago. For this reason, we say that the Sun is moving retrograde from one group of stars (i.e., a constellation) to the next group of stars. Sometimes (unfortunately) it is expressed like this: the Sun is entering, or will soon enter the constellation of Aquarius - while "entering" this constellation not The sun and the vernal equinox. Therefore, it is argued that we exist "next to" the beginning of the "age of Aquarius."

Equinox Prelude(lat. praecessio aequinoctiorum)- the historical name for the gradual displacement of the points of the spring and autumn equinoxes (that is, the points of intersection of the celestial equator with the ecliptic) towards the apparent annual movement of the Sun. In other words, every year the spring equinox occurs a little earlier than the previous year.

The main reason for the precession of the equinoxes is precession, a periodic change in direction (displacement) of the earth's axis under the influence of the attraction of the Moon, and also (to a lesser extent) the Sun.

The Earth is like a giant top, under the influence of the gravity of the Sun and the Moon, it makes a slow circular rotation. The Moon and the Sun, by their attraction, tend to rotate the axis of the Earth, as a result, the phenomenon of precession occurs.

The projection of the earth's axis, as it were, outlines a giant circle in the North of the celestial sphere, covering the constellations Draco and Ursa Minor. At the edge of the circle are Vega, Alpha Draconis and Polaris. This movement of the earth's axis along a circular line, a kind of swaying of the axis of rotation, is called precession.

The rotation of the axis of our planet has a variety of consequences. First of all, it shortens the length of the tropical year, which becomes 20 minutes shorter than the sidereal year.

"Tropical year" - the time interval between two successive passages of the Sun through the vernal equinox, it is equal to 365.2422 days. This year is the basis of the calendar. "Stellar year" - the period of revolution of the Earth around the Sun relative to the stars, or the period of time during which the Sun returns to the same point in the sky relative to the stars. The "stellar year" is equal to 365.2564 mean solar days, i.e. 20 minutes longer than the usual "tropical year".

In the process of precession, the view of the starry sky, visible at certain latitudes, changes, as the declinations of certain constellations change, and even the season of their observation.

Some constellations that are now visible in the middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere of the Earth (for example, Orion and Canis Major) gradually descend below the horizon and in a few thousand years will be almost inaccessible from the middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere, but the constellations Centaurus and the Southern Cross will appear in the northern sky, and also a number of others.

Observe precession simple enough. You need to start the top and wait until it starts to slow down. Initially, the axis of rotation of the top is vertical. Then its top point gradually descends and moves in a divergent spiral. In more detail:

You can get the effect of precession without waiting for the rotation of the top to slow down: push its axis (apply force) - the precession will begin. Another effect is directly related to precession, shown in the illustration below - this is nutation - oscillatory movements of the axis of the precessing body. The speed of precession and the amplitude of nutation are related to the speed of rotation of the body (by changing the parameters of precession and nutation, if it is possible to apply force to the axis of the rotating body, one can change the speed of its rotation). Such a movement is made by the axis of rotation of the Earth, which was noted by Hipparchus as pre-equinoxes. According to modern data, the full cycle of the earth's precession, as already mentioned, is about 25,765 years.

The oscillation of the Earth's axis of rotation entails a change in the position of the stars relative to the equatorial coordinate system. In particular, after some time, the North Star will cease to be the brightest star closest to the north pole of the Earth, and Turais will be the South Pole Star around 8100 AD. e.

Precession is presumably related to the periodic change in the Earth's climate.

Constellations of the zodiac.

Content
History of constellation names
Aries
constellation taurus
Where are the twins in the sky?
How cancer appeared in the sky
Is the lion in the sky scary?
Virgo
Libra is the only "non-living" zodiac constellation
Does the constellation really look like a scorpion?
Who is the star archer aiming at?
Where is the Capricorn going?
Where does Aquarius pour water?
Pisces closes the circle of the zodiac constellations
Bibliography.

HISTORY OF THE NAME OF THE CONSTELLATIONS
The history of the constellations is very interesting. A very long time ago, sky observers combined the brightest and most noticeable groups of stars into constellations and gave them various names. These were the names of various mythical heroes or animals, characters of legends and tales - Hercules, Centaurus, Taurus, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Pegasus, etc. In the names of the constellations Peacock, Toucan, Indian, South. Cross, Bird of Paradise was reflected in the Age of Discovery. There are a lot of constellations - 88. But not all of them are bright and noticeable. The winter sky is richest in bright stars. At first glance, the names of many constellations seem strange. Often in the arrangement of stars it is very difficult or even simply impossible to consider what the name of the constellation is talking about. The Big Dipper, for example, resembles a bucket, it is very difficult to imagine a Giraffe or a Lynx in the sky. But if you look at the old atlases of the starry sky, then the constellations are depicted on them in the form of animals.

ARIES
0 - 30° ecliptic. Aries is considered the first in the zodiac, since at the time when Greek astronomy was created, the Sun entered this constellation at the time of the vernal equinox. The constellation is unremarkable, consists of stars of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th magnitudes. The main star of Aries is Hamal, the navigational star.
The cult of the sacrificial lamb (lamb) has passed through millennia. The symbol of a white meek, innocent creature, sacrificing himself to people in the name of their good and atonement for their deeds - this is the idea of ​​the hieroglyph of the constellation Aries.
The supreme god of Egypt, the sun god Amon-Ra, whose sacred animal was the ram, was often depicted with a ram's head, and his horns were bent so that he could not protect himself with them. On the additional horns of Aries, the disk of the Sun shines - a symbol of cosmic wisdom.

CONSTELLATION TAURUS
30 - 60° of the ecliptic. A large constellation of stars of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th magnitudes. Star 1st magnitude Aldebaran yellowish-orange color - navigational star. One of the most beautiful stars in our sky. Aldebaran is surrounded by an open star cluster called the Hyades. To the right and above Aldebaran is a closer group of stars - the Pleiades. In the constellation Taurus there is an amazing crab nebula - the remnants of a supernova that erupted in 1054.
In Egypt, the cult of the sacred bull (calf) Apis flourished for thousands of years. He personified the strength, the power of reproduction. Therefore, the images of Apis are a symbol of creative power.
Among the ancient peoples, the most important was the constellation Taurus, since the new year began in the spring. In the zodiac, Taurus is the most ancient constellation, since cattle breeding played a huge role in the life of ancient peoples, and that constellation was associated with the bull (calf), where the Sun, as it were, conquered winter and heralded the arrival of spring and summer. In general, many ancient peoples revered this animal, considered it sacred. In ancient Egypt there was a sacred bull, Apis, who was worshiped during his lifetime and whose mummy was solemnly buried in a magnificent tomb. Every 25 years Apis was replaced with a new one. In Greece, the bull was also held in high esteem. In Crete, the bull was called the Minotaur. Heroes of Hellas Hercules, Theseus, Jason subdued the bulls. The constellation Aries was also highly revered in antiquity. The supreme god of Egypt, Amon-Ra, was depicted with a ram's head, and the road to his temple was an alley of sphinxes with ram's heads. It was believed that the constellation Aries was named after Aries with the Golden Fleece, after which the Argonauts sailed. In the sky, by the way, there are a number of constellations that reflect the Argo Ship. The alpha (brightest) star of this constellation is called Gamal (Arabic for "adult ram"). The brightest star in the constellation Taurus is called Aldebaran.

WHERE ARE THE GEMINI IN HEAVEN?
60 - 90° of the ecliptic. The constellation consists of stars of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th magnitudes. The head of the twins is marked with two beautiful stars: Castor, a whitish-green star of the 2nd magnitude, and Pollux, a star of the 1st magnitude, an orange-yellow navigational star.
The names of the stars marking the heads of the Twins reflected elements of Greek mythology - Castor and Pollux - twin heroes, sons of Zeus and Leda, who accomplished a number of feats.
The Egyptians gave this constellation their own interpretation.
A standing woman is depicted hieroglyphically, overshadowed by the star Pollux. The man is opposite her. Press the star Castor with his head, his left hand is actively extended forward. The right hand is connected with the hand of a woman, which symbolically indicates the harmonious combination of these two principles: female potential energy and male - realizing.
In this constellation, two bright stars are very close to each other. They got their name in honor of the Argonauts Dioscuri - Castor and Pollux - twins, sons of Zeus, the most powerful of the Olympic gods, and Leda, a frivolous earthly beauty, the brothers of Helen the beautiful - the culprit of the Trojan War. Castor was famous as a skilled charioteer, and Pollux as an unsurpassed fist fighter. They participated in the campaign of the Argonauts and the Calydonian hunt. But one day the Dioscuri did not share the booty with their cousins, the giants Idas and Linkey. In the battle with them, the brothers were badly wounded. And when Castor died, the immortal Pollux did not want to part with his brother and asked Zeus not to separate them. Since then, by the will of Zeus, the brothers spend half a year in the kingdom of gloomy Hades, and half a year - on Olympus. There are periods when on the same day the star Castor is visible against the background of the dawn, and Pollux is visible against the background of the evening. Perhaps it was this circumstance that gave rise to the legend of the brothers living either in the realm of the dead or in heaven. The Dioscuri brothers were considered in ancient times the patrons of sailors caught in a storm. And the appearance on the masts of ships before a thunderstorm of the "Fires of St. Elmo" was considered a visit to the Twins by their sister Elena. St. Elmo's fires are luminous discharges of atmospheric electricity observed on pointed objects (tops of masts, lightning rods, etc.). The Dioscuri were also revered as guardians of the state and patrons of hospitality. In ancient Rome, a silver coin "Dioscuri" with the image of stars was in circulation.

HOW CANCER APPEARED IN THE SKY
90 - 120° of the ecliptic. A barely noticeable constellation: its brightest stars do not exceed the 4th magnitude. The most modest of the zodiac constellations. The main star is Akubens. In this constellation is the star cluster Nursery. The Tropic of Cancer is named after the sign of the constellation.
Over two thousand years ago, the summer solstice fell on this constellation. The sun motherly poured light and warmth onto the Earth. Therefore, the constellation is associated with the name of the goddess Isis, personifying the idea of ​​motherhood, eternal femininity and earthly wisdom. One of the attributes of the goddess is the Moon, and the constellation Cancer is dedicated to the Moon, and its symbol is depicted as a crab, resembling the moon in shape. Hieroglyphically, the constellation means wisdom, which manifests itself in selfless love.
The constellation Cancer is one of the most obscure zodiac constellations. Its history is very interesting. There are several rather exotic explanations for the origin of the name of this constellation. So, for example, it was seriously claimed that the Egyptians placed Cancer in this region of the sky as a symbol of destruction and death, because this animal feeds on carrion. Cancer moves tail forward. About two thousand years ago in the constellation of Cancer was the point of the summer solstice (ie, the longest daylight hours). The sun, having reached at this time the maximum distance to the north, began to "retreat" back. The length of the day gradually decreased. According to classical ancient mythology, a huge sea Cancer attacked Hercules when he fought the Lernaean Hydra. The hero crushed him, but the goddess Hera, who hated Hercules, placed Cancer in the sky. The Louvre houses the famous Egyptian zodiac circle, in which the constellation Cancer is located above all others.

IS A LION IN THE SKY SCARY?
120 - 150° of the ecliptic. Occupies a large area of ​​the sky. Stars of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th magnitudes. Star of the 1st magnitude - Regulus, or the Heart of the Lion, blue, navigational star. Its luminosity is 150 times that of the Sun1. In the "tail" of the constellation is a star of the 2nd magnitude - Denebola.
Hieroglyphically, this constellation depicts the Lion - a symbol of courage and strength, it is supported by a serpent - a symbol of wisdom. Denebola is depicted as a meek maiden - a symbol of higher wisdom. At the end of the serpent's tail is a falcon, the symbol of the god Horus. Above the back of the Lion with a scroll in his hand - a symbol of secret knowledge, sits the god of knowledge Sioux, who helped the creator god Atum to create the building of the world. The meaning of the hieroglyph is that at this stage of development a person reaches the full flowering of his spiritual and physical powers and is striving for further improvement.
About 4.5 thousand years ago, the point of the summer solstice was located in this constellation, and the Sun appeared in this constellation during the hottest time of the year. Therefore, among many peoples, it was the Lion that became the symbol of fire. The Assyrians called this constellation "the great fire," and the Chaldeans associated the fierce lion with the no less fierce heat that was every summer. They believed that the Sun receives additional strength and warmth, being among the stars of the lion. In Egypt, this constellation was also associated with the summer period: flocks of lions, fleeing the heat, migrated from the desert to the Nile valley, which at that time was flooding. Therefore, the Egyptians placed on the gates of irrigation canal locks that directed water to the fields, images in the form of a lion's head with an open mouth.

VIRGO
150 - 180° of the ecliptic. A large constellation of stars of the 1st, 3rd, 4th magnitude. The 1st magnitude star is the bluish-white navigational star Spica, with a luminosity 740 times that of the Sun. The autumnal equinox is currently in the constellation.
Hieroglyphically, the Virgin is depicted here with a grain ear in her hand - a symbol of the emergence of life. She stands motionless, which means that she is beyond time and space - eternal. Behind the Virgin, one of the gods of the underworld, Anubis, is depicted, in his left hand he holds a was wand - a symbol of power, inviolability, in his right hand - an Egyptian cross - a symbol of life. Anubis symbolizes the idea of ​​death as a transient phenomenon and subordinate to life, so he follows the Virgin and is smaller in size. The general meaning of the hieroglyph is that a person learns the idea of ​​Life and Death, their Unity.
The Virgo constellation, located next to Leo, this constellation was sometimes represented by a fabulous sphinx - a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a woman. Often in early myths, the Virgin was identified with Rhea, the mother of the god Zeus, the wife of the god Kronos. Sometimes she was seen as Themis, the goddess of justice, who in her classical guise holds scales in her hands (the zodiac constellation next to Virgo). There is evidence that in this constellation, ancient observers saw Astrea, the daughter of Themis and the god Zeus, the last of the goddesses who left the Earth at the end of the Bronze Age. Astrey - the goddess of justice, a symbol of purity and innocence, left the Earth because of the crimes of people. This is how we see the Virgin in ancient myths. The virgin is usually depicted with the rod of Mercury and an ear. Spica (translated from Latin "ear") is the name of the brightest star in the constellation. The very name of the star and the fact that the Virgin was depicted with an ear in her hands indicates the connection of this star with human agricultural activities. It is possible that the beginning of any agricultural work coincided with her appearance in the sky.

LIBRA - THE ONLY "NON-LIFE" ZODIAC CONSTELLATION
180 - 210° of the ecliptic. A small constellation with stars of the 3rd, 4th magnitude. Libra is a double star2, the Arabs called it Zuben Elgenubi - Southern Libra and Zuben El Hamali - Northern Libra. More than two thousand years ago, the Sun was in this constellation during the vernal equinox, hence the emergence of a sign that "balances day with night and work with rest."
Hieroglyphically, the sign means the next stage in development. Sagittarius - half-animal, half-human, having defeated Scorpio (sensuality), turns into a thinking person who must think about his actions and be responsible for them; then the scales will be in balance, and the person will be in harmony.
Indeed, it seems strange that among the animals and "semi-animals" in the Zodiac there is a sign of Libra. Over two thousand years ago, this constellation was the point of the autumnal equinox. The equality of day and night could be one of the reasons why the zodiac constellation was named Libra. The appearance of Libra in the sky in the middle latitudes indicated that the time had come for sowing, and the ancient Egyptians, already at the end of spring, could consider this as a signal to start harvesting the first crop. Scales - a symbol of balance - could simply remind the ancient farmers of the need to weigh the harvest. Among the ancient Greeks, Astrea, the goddess of justice, weighed the fate of people with the help of Libra. One of the myths explains the appearance of the zodiac constellation Libra as a reminder to people of the need to strictly observe the laws. The fact is that Astrea was the daughter of the almighty Zeus and the goddess of justice Themis. On behalf of Zeus and Themis, Astrea regularly "inspected" the Earth (armed with scales and blindfolded in order to judge everything objectively, supply Olympus with good information and mercilessly punish deceivers, liars and everyone who dared to commit all kinds of unjust acts). So Zeus decided that Libra's daughter should be placed in the sky.

IS THE CONSTELLATION REALLY LIKE SCORPIO?
210 - 240° of the ecliptic. A large constellation with a very beautiful grouping of stars of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th magnitudes. The heart of Scorpio is a reddish-orange star of the 1st magnitude - Antares - one of the most beautiful stars in our sky. navigation star. The curved "tail" of the constellation with the "stinger" is marked by two stars of the 2nd magnitude.
Hieroglyphically, Scorpio depicts the sensuality that Sagittarius must overcome in order to move further along the path of his inner growth and improvement.
Not only because of the external similarity, this constellation was assigned the role of a poisonous creature. The sun entered this region of the sky in late autumn, when all nature seemed to die, in order to be reborn, like the god Dionysus, in the early spring of the next year. The sun was considered "stung" by some poisonous creature (by the way, in this region of the sky there is also the constellation Serpent!), "it hurt" all winter, remaining weak and pale. According to classical Greek mythology, this is the same Scorpio that stung the giant Orion and was hidden by the goddess Hera on the diametrically opposite part of the celestial sphere. It was he, the heavenly Scorpio, who frightened the most unfortunate Phaethon, the son of the god Helios, who decided to ride across the sky in his fiery chariot, not listening to his father's warnings. Other nations gave this constellation their own names. For example, for the inhabitants of Polynesia, it seemed like a fishing hook, with which the god Maun pulled the island of New Zealand from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Among the Maya Indians, this constellation was associated with the name Yalagau, which means "Lord of Darkness." According to many astronomers, the sign of Scorpio is the most sinister - a symbol of death. It seemed especially scary when the planet of disasters, Saturn, turned out to be in it. Scorpio is a constellation where new stars often flare up, in addition, this constellation is rich in bright star clusters.

WHO IS THE STAR SAGITTER AIMING?
240 - 270° of the ecliptic. A large constellation of stars of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and two stars of the 2nd magnitude. Lies in an area rich in star clusters and nebulae. The main star is called Alrami. Now in the constellation is the point of the winter solstice.
Sagittarius is east of Scorpio. The development of Pisces continues - this is already a creature with the body of an animal, the torso and the head of a man, the conqueror of the four elements, which are depicted: the earth - in the form of a barge - a support for the front legs, which will later become human; water is given in the form of a complex symbol of "heaven" ("lord"), resting in a stream of water - a support for the hind legs; the wing symbolizes air, and the arrow with which Sagittarius will defeat Scorpio for his further advancement is fire.
According to ancient Greek mythology, the wisest of the centaurs Chiron, the son of the god Chronos and the goddess Themis, created the first model of the celestial sphere. At the same time, he took one place in the Zodiac for himself. But he was outstripped by the insidious centaur Krotos, who took his place by deceit and became the constellation of Sagittarius. And the god Zeus turned Chiron himself after death into the constellation of the Centaur. And so it turned out in the sky as many as two centaurs. Even Scorpio himself is afraid of the evil Sagittarius, at whom he aims with a bow. Sometimes you can find the image of Sagittarius in the form of a centaur with two faces: one is turned back, the other is forward. In this he resembles the Roman god Janus. The first month of the year, January, is associated with the name of Janus. And the Sun is in Sagittarius in winter. Thus, the constellation, as it were, symbolizes the end of the old and the beginning of the new year, with one of its faces looking into the past, and the other into the future. In the direction of the constellation Sagittarius is the center of our Galaxy. If you look at the map of the starry sky, then the Milky Way also passes through the constellation Sagittarius. Like Scorpio, Sagittarius is very rich in beautiful nebulae. Perhaps this constellation more than any other deserves the name "heavenly treasury." Many star clusters and nebulae are strikingly beautiful.

WHERE DOES CAPRICORN RIDE?
270 - 300° of the ecliptic. The constellation consists of stars no brighter than 3rd magnitude. On the “forehead” of this hieroglyphic animal, the main star of Giedi is double. Each of its constituent stars is in turn triple. The name of the Tropic of Capricorn is associated with the sign of the constellation.
The Capricorn hieroglyph means that as a result of evolution, the Fish turns half into an animal, retaining only part of the body of a fish. Above Capricorn, the god Horus is depicted, in his right hand he has an ankh, in his left he has. He patronizes Capricorn, its further development. Horus, according to the ancient Egyptians, is a benefactor god who is in eternal struggle with the god Set, the personification of evil.
Capricorn is a mythical creature with the body of a goat and the tail of a fish. According to the most common ancient Greek legend, the goat-footed god Pan, the son of Hermes, the patron saint of shepherds, was frightened by the hundred-headed giant Typhon and rushed into the water in horror. He has since become a water god and has grown a fish tail. Transformed by the god Zeus into a constellation, Capricorn became the lord of the waters and the harbinger of storms. It was believed that he sends heavy rains to the earth. According to another legend, this is the goat Amalthea, who nursed Zeus with her milk. The Indians called this constellation Makara, i.e. a miracle dragon, also half goat, half fish. Some peoples depicted him as a half-crocodile - a half-bird. Similar ideas existed in South America. When the Sun entered the constellation Capricorn, the Indians celebrated the New Year by wearing goat-head masks for ceremonial dances. But the indigenous Australians called the constellation Capricorn the constellation Kangaroo, which is chased by heavenly hunters to kill him and fry him on a large fire. Among many ancient peoples, the goat was revered as a sacred animal; divine services were performed in honor of the goat. People dressed in sacred clothes made of goat skins and brought a gift to the gods - a sacrificial goat. It is with such customs and with this constellation that the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe "scapegoat" - Azazel, is associated. Azazel - (letting goat) - the name of one of the goat-like gods, demons of the desert. On the so-called day of the goat, two goats were selected: one for sacrifice, the other for release into the wilderness. Of the two goats, the priests chose which one for God and which one for Azazel. First, a sacrifice was made to God, and then another goat was brought to the high priest, on which he laid his hands and thereby, as it were, transferred to him all the sins of the people. And after that, the goat was released into the desert. The desert was a symbol of the underworld and a natural place for sins. The constellation Capricorn is located at the bottom of the ecliptic. Perhaps this is what caused the idea of ​​the underworld. In the constellation of Capricorn about 2 thousand years ago was the point of the winter solstice. The ancient philosopher Macrobius believed that the Sun, having passed the lowest point, begins to climb up, like a mountain goat striving for the top.

WHERE DOES AQUARIUS POUR WATER?
300 - 330° of the ecliptic. A large and complex constellation. It consists only of stars of the 3rd, 4th, 5th magnitudes. It lies almost entirely in the southern hemisphere. It contains a beautiful planetary nebula.
In the zodiac constellation, it is hieroglyphically shown that Pisces, which has begun the path of its development, is subjected to various trials and sufferings. This is depicted in the form of fiery jets pouring onto her from two vessels, the symbolism of which is testing and encouragement.
This constellation was called by the Greeks Hydrohos, by the Romans - Aquarius, by the Arabs - Sakib-al-ma. All this meant the same thing: a person pouring water. The constellation of Aquarius is associated with the Greek myth of Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha, the only people who escaped the Flood. The name of the constellation really leads to the "homeland of the Flood" in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In some writings of the ancient people - the Sumerians - these two rivers are depicted as flowing from the vessel of Aquarius. The eleventh month of the Sumerians was called "the month of the water curse". According to the Sumerians, the constellation Aquarius was in the center of the "celestial sea", and therefore foreshadowed the rainy season. It was identified with the god who warned people about the flood. This legend of the ancient Sumerians is similar to the biblical story of Noah and his family - the only people who escaped the flood in the ark. In Egypt, the constellation Aquarius was observed in the sky during the days of the highest water level in the Nile River. It was believed that the water god Knemu overturns a huge ladle into the Nile. It was also believed that the White and Blue Nile rivers, tributaries of the Nile, flow from the god's vessels. It is possible that the legend about one of the exploits of Hercules is connected with the constellation Aquarius - cleaning the Augean stables (for which the hero needed to dam three rivers).

PISCES COMPLETE THE RING OF THE ZODIAC CONSTELLATIONS
330 - 360° of the ecliptic. A large zodiac constellation of stars of the 4th, 5th magnitude. Almost entirely lies in the northern hemisphere of the sky. The main star of Pisces is the beautiful double star El Risha. Now in the constellation is the vernal equinox.
The two symbolic fish depicted in the figure are connected by a cord. A small rectangle with waves, placed between the fish, carries the idea of ​​primary water - the beginning of all living things. The lower fish is under the jets of water in its usual environment. In the circle below it stands a woman holding a boar - an object that personifies the god of darkness - Set. The upper fish, patronized by ajat - the eye of Horus, depicted in a small circle above the fish, escaped from its familiar environment and, driven by a thirst for knowledge, rushed into the unknown.
The very arrangement of the stars in the sky inspires the idea of ​​two fish tied together with a ribbon or rope. The origin of the name of the constellation Pisces is very ancient and, apparently, is connected with Phoenician mythology. In this constellation, the Sun entered the season of rich fishing. The goddess of fertility was depicted as a woman with a fish tail, which, according to legend, appeared to her when she and her son, frightened by a monster, rushed into the water. A similar legend existed among the ancient Greeks. Only they believed that Aphrodite and her son Eros turned into fish: they walked along the river bank, but frightened by the evil Typhon, rushed into the water and escaped, turning into fish. Aphrodite became the southern Pisces, and Eros became the northern Pisces.

] - articles from scientific journals

The ram, the bull, the heavenly twins,
And next the crab, the lion shines,
The virgin and the scales
The scorpion, archer, and the goat,
The man who holds the watering pot
And fish with glittering scales.

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

(Let there be such a translation)

Aries Taurus and Gemini
behind them the cancer and the lion shine
here is the maiden and behind her the scales
two hemispheres separate
there is a scorpion, a sagittarius, but
shaggy ibex swims
the hero spilled water tub
in it the fish rustle their gills

zodiac constellations- these are the constellations through which the sun passed at the time when the concept of the zodiac was formed. There are twelve of them.

It is sometimes said - and this is almost correct - that the zodiac constellations are those through which the ecliptic(annual path of the sun across the sky). The ecliptic spans the sky like the equator spans the earth, so zodiac constellations- this is simply the traditional historical name for a group of twelve constellations, a strip covering the entire sky.

The zodiac constellations are named exactly the same as Zodiac signs, there is a deep genetic connection between them, but the constellations and signs are completely different objects! They are different in essence, but most importantly, they differ in position in the sky. Because of this confusion (in the minds of both astronomers and astrologers), misunderstandings and misunderstandings constantly arise.

Please don't confuse zodiac constellations co zodiac signs!

I mentioned that the ecliptic passes through the zodiacal constellations, but this is not entirely true. The fact is that in ancient times the shape of the constellations was somewhat different, the modern form of the constellation was accepted only in the XX century. Therefore, and from about this time, the ecliptic began to cross the constellation Ophiuchus. However, Ophiuchus do not include to the zodiac constellations. Astrologers (and astronomers) who consider Ophiuchus a zodiacal constellation do not understand anything either in astronomy or in their own craft! Ophiuchus is wedged into the zodiac sequence between Sagittarius and Scorpio.

By analogy with the signs (and we remember that the zodiac constellations and the signs of the zodiac are different things), the corresponding symbolic icons were assigned to the zodiac constellations, which, however, are not used by astronomers at all. In this table, the constellations are distributed according to the celestial hemispheres and seasons in accordance with tradition, and not at all from the real astronomical state of affairs.

So, the ecliptic (and in place with it the zodiac constellations) covers the sky like the equator, covering the Earth. (There is also a celestial equator, but more on that elsewhere.) As on the earth's equator, a coordinate system can be built on the ecliptic. Such a system of ecliptic coordinates was actually used, and it can be seen in ancient atlases. Even the coordinates in the sky are named in this system in the same way as geographic ones: latitude and longitude.

The visible annual path of the Sun passes through thirteen constellations, starting from the vernal equinox: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces. Twelve of them are called zodiacal. The Sun spends about a month in each zodiac constellation. The nature of the zodiacal light - an oblong luminous figure visible in the morning and evening twilight on the ecliptic - is unknown. An imaginary circle passing in the plane of the equator, the first point of which was called Aries, is zodiacal belt along which the sun, moon, and planets move relative to the stars. It is divided into 12 segments, each at 30 degrees in accordance with a certain sign of the Zodiac - it measures the right ascension of celestial bodies. This imaginary belt in the sky of the twelve zodiac constellations, along which the Sun passes its path, is called astrological zodiac.

Zodiac Belt

Zodiac comes from the Greek word zodion (Greek diminutive of zun - animal, diakos - wheel), one of the most common symbols in cultures: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Judea, Greece, Rome, Northern Europe, Persia, India, Tibet, China, America. The first evidence of a systematic understanding of zodiacal symbolism dates back to the time of Sargon of Akkad (2750 BC), when astrologers predicted an eclipse of the sun. The zodiac is the zone that the Sun apparently crosses once a year. It lies on both sides of the ecliptic at 18 degrees latitude and includes the movement of the Sun, planets, and the Moon. Divided into 12 constellations.

Greek circle of the Zodiac (13th century drawing). The zodiac is divided into 12 signs with the names of the constellations that occupied most of its area. As the Earth moves around the Sun, it seems to us moving from one constellation to another.

Zodiac signs emerged about 2500 years ago. The "ancient" Cicero already knew what the constellations were, and described the history of their occurrence as follows. "A solid sphere without voids" was invented a long time ago and such a sphere was first carved by Thales of Miletus, and then Eudoxus of Cnidus, according to the words of a student of Plato, DRAWED ON IT THE POSITION OF THE CONSTELLATIONS AND STARS located in the sky ... Many years later, Arat ... sang in verse, the entire structure of the sphere and the position of the luminaries on it, taken by him from Eudoxus.

The distribution of stars in various constellations is first given, as it is believed, in Ptolemy's Almagest. The Ptolemaic constellations, with the exception of small details, coincide with the modern constellations. The names of these constellations from Ptolemy also, in the vast majority of cases, coincide with the names that we use today.

An overview of the constellations in the sky that correspond to the signs of the zodiac.

Now a fairly large number of people believe in horoscopes. Astrologers can now make horoscopes for each individual person using a star chart. But the work of an astrologer is not as simple as it seems, because you need to have certain skills and knowledge.

Since ancient times, people have looked at the sky, trying to find sets of stars that resemble something. This is how the constellations appeared. Previously, the division into months occurred precisely according to the signs of the zodiac, but now scientists have found out that the sun in each constellation is not at all an equal amount of time. This is due to the shift of the vernal equinox. Now this is confirmed by the appearance of a new constellation - Ophiuchus.

At the moment, there are 13 signs of the zodiac, since Ophiuchus was recently included in this list. The sun is in each sign for about a month. The constellations are combined into four elements, since every three signs of the zodiac are interconnected by common characteristics.

The sun is in this sign from March 21 to April 20. The beginning of the horoscope begins with this sign, since two millennia ago the vernal equinox was in this constellation. Now this point in this sign will be only in 24 thousand years.

The constellation looks like a tick with rounded edges. In fact, these are the horns of a lamb with which many legends are associated in mythology. The brightest stars in this sign are Mezartim, Sharatan, Gamal. It is they who are the outline of the horns of the lamb.

This constellation has more than 130 stars, while 14 can be clearly seen. The brightest star of the zodiac is Aldebaran. This is one of the brightest planets in the constellation, which corresponds to the bull's eye in the image. According to legend, Taurus is Zeus, who turned into a mythical animal in order to kidnap young Europa. According to the symbolism of the sign, this is a circle with horns extending from it.

The sun is in this sign from May 22 to June 21. The brightest stars in this sign are Castor and Pollux. According to legend, these are two brothers who loved each other very much with brotherly love. In the sky, the constellation has 70 stars that merge into a whole image. In horoscopes, the Gemini icon looks a bit like a rectangle with rounded lines that extend from each corner of the figure.

This constellation is the most unremarkable among its fellows. In calm weather with low clouds, you can see 60 stars, the brightest of which are Altarf and Beta Cancer. According to ancient legend, the crab was created by Hera, who used the mollusk to thwart Hercules in his fight against the Hydra. The constellation looks like a crab, but astronomers decided to call it cancer.

The constellation Leo can be considered one of the brightest and most noticeable. This is due to the large size of the stars that make up the constellation. The largest star is Regulus, which means King. The outline of the brightest stars really resembles a lion. The icon of this constellation resembles a circle with a wave departing from it.

This constellation is one of the largest, with over 164 stars. The brightest star in Spica. The autumnal equinox is associated with this sign. In the sky, the constellation is quite complex and large, but there are not so many bright stars. The constellation icon resembles the English letter m with a tail that extends from the letter. Many mythical legends and stories are associated with this constellation.

The sun in this constellation is in September and October. The most interesting thing is that it has 83 stars, the most distinct of which are Zuben el Shemali and Zuben el Genubi. The appearance of this constellation in the sky is associated with the daughter of Zeus. She walked the earth and weighed justice and injustice with the help of scales. Now part of the stars of this constellation belongs to another sign, which until recently corresponded to Scorpio, and now to Ophiuchus.

In October and November, the sun is in the sign of Scorpio, which has only 17 stars. The brightest star is Antares, which is visible in the sky with the naked eye. According to legend, the scorpion stung the hunter Orion, who died from a deadly poison. Constellation symbol letter m, with branches and an arrow. In the sky, this constellation resembles a curly fork.

Sagittarius in mythology is a centaur that cuts through the expanses of heaven. The constellation is very bright and massive. It has 115 stars, the brightest of which are 14. The constellation is very interesting from the point of view of astronomy, as it includes the center of the galaxy and a huge black hole. The symbolism of the constellation is simple, it is a crossed out arrow.

The sun in this constellation is in December and January. The appearance of this sign is associated with the son of Hermes, who, frightened by Titan, fled into the sea. After that, he turned into a strange monster that resembled a goat with a fish tail. The constellation has 86 stars. The brightest star in this cluster is Beta. The icon of this zodiac sign resembles the letter n with a tail and a branch.

This is one of the brightest constellations. The brightest planets in which there are only seven. In the sky, the constellation resembles a strange branching. The appearance of this sign is associated with the myth about the hero who poured water all the time. The symbolism of the sign is simple, these are two broken lines that are one under the other.

What does the zodiac sign and constellation look like in the sky Pisces?

The appearance of the constellation is associated with the legend of Galatea and Akis. Fleeing from the Cyclops, the lovers rushed into the sea and drowned. In total, the constellation has 75 planets that can be seen without special equipment. The vernal equinox is in this sign. The symbolism resembles the letter H with branches.