Aquarius constellation in Latin. Constellation Aquarius: position in the sky and interesting objects. The main stars of the constellation Aquarius

In order to find out What does the constellation Aquarius look like? , you need to keep in mind that the best time to contemplate this cluster of stars begins in August and lasts until October. The best area for contemplation of Aquarius is the central and southern regions of Russia. The constellation is spread out in a long line of stars and stars, of which there are almost ninety pieces!

Aquarius on the star map

Visually, Aquarius is a curved line, in the middle of which are the five brightest stars in the form of a Y sign, protruding from the general cluster of celestial bodies. It was this cluster that ancient astronomers called a vessel for liquid. Taking into account the fact that the constellation could be seen in early autumn, during the rainy period, it becomes clear why the ancient Greeks saw in it a man who, kneeling down, pours water from a vessel.

Stars in the constellation Aquarius

What the constellation Aquarius looks like in the sky - PHOTO

The closest neighbors of Aquarius are Pegasus, Eagle, Small Horse, as well as well-known Pisces and Capricorn. Finding Aquarius among so many stars is quite difficult, it’s easier to find Pegasus first - it looks like a clear rectangle that can be seen right away. Directly below Pegasus is a cluster of stars in the upper part of Aquarius, including the second largest star in Aquarius - Sadalmelik. The largest star in the constellation is Sadalsud, in Arabic its name is read as "the happiest of the lucky."

Legends and myths about the constellation Aquarius

Aquarius became the most important constellation for the ancient Sumerians, for them it was the personification of An, the god of the sky, who, according to the Sumerians, enriched the Earth with water - the source of life.

The legend of the youth Ganymede is associated with the constellation Aquarius. The son of the Trojan king Tros Ganymede was so beautiful that he could be compared with the beauty of the golden-haired god of light Apollo. Once, the great Zeus himself noticed Ganymede singing a song from the height of Olympus and ordered the eagle to immediately deliver the young man to him. An eagle flew into a black cloud on a young man and carried him to the top of Mount Olympus. The beauty of Ganymede impressed Zeus so much that he rewarded the young man with immortality and entrusted him with the position of his own butler. The nectar pouring from the jug of Ganymede became the symbol of the constellation Aquarius.

There are patterns in the night sky, which are very difficult to see while in the city. Their elements are located very far from the Earth or emit so little light that they can only be seen on a clear night, standing in an open field, which does not reach. The constellation Aquarius can be attributed to such celestial drawings.

Observation

In the conditions of the city, especially in northern latitudes, it is not easy to find it in the sky, although it is possible. The best time for observation is summer. The reference point for the search is clearly visible immediately below which Aquarius is located. Its silhouette is more expressive in the south of the country.

The constellation Aquarius in the sky can be recognized by the more or less bright asterism Jug related to it. It is formed by five luminaries visually creating an inverted Y with Zeta Aquarii in the middle.

myths

The constellation Aquarius is not fanned by legends. The reason for this lies in the relative dullness of its elements. However, several mythological plots are still connected with him. In ancient Greece, Aquarius was associated with Ganymede, who was called to Olympus by Zeus. A handsome young man was supposed to serve as cupbearer to the gods. In return, the Thunderer promised Ganymede immortality. Hera intervened in Zeus's plans, not wanting to see the young man among her close associates. As a result, Ganymede gained the promised immortality by becoming a constellation. And to this day he pours wine from a jug.

Aquarius was also associated with the legend of the flood, and also served as a harbinger of irrigation work.

The brightest

Despite some inexpressiveness, the Aquarius constellation itself, the stars and others included in it, are worthy of attention. The most noticeable of them are alpha and beta constellations, which have their own names: Sadalmelik and Sadalsuud, respectively. The brightest is the second star. Beta Aquarius is 600 light-years from Earth. In mass, it is 6 times greater than the Sun, and in diameter - 50 times. The luminosity of Sadalsuud is 2200 times greater than the similar parameter of our star. However, from Earth, Beta Aquarius appears brighter than Alpha only because of the shorter distance separating the two space objects.

Another feature of Sadalsuud is clearly visible through a telescope. It is a system of three components.

mysterious

Sadalmelik is a star that is not in a hurry to reveal its secrets to astronomers. It has a luminosity and a diameter of 3 thousand and 60 times, respectively, greater than the similar parameters of the Sun. The received measurements give the chance to assume that the alpha of Aquarius approaches completion of the existence. According to the accumulated data, luminaries with similar characteristics, as a rule, are variables of the Cephei delta type. However, in practice, Sadalmelik cannot be attributed to such a class. And this is one of its main secrets: the reasons why the "behavior" of the luminary does not agree with the theory and previously received information about similar objects are not clear.

Scientists have attributed alpha Aquarius to the type of hybrid stars. The surface temperature of Sadalmelik is close to solar, therefore, taking into account other characteristics, it should have the same corona as our luminary has on days of total eclipse. Similar in temperature, but possessing more such decoration do not have. Their magnetic field causes a strong circumstellar wind, much colder than the surface. Sadalmelik, again deviating from the theory, possesses both the crown and the wind.

Symbiotic variable

The constellation Aquarius is distinguished by several objects of great interest to science. One of them is R Aquarii, a variable star located 650 light-years from the Sun. Changes in its brilliance were noticed as early as the 19th century. Today, the luminary is classified as a symbiotic variable. R Aquarius is a system of two stars that are very different in their characteristics - a red giant and a white dwarf, "cooperating" with each other, like organisms that make up a biological symbiosis.

It has such a huge diameter that the outer part of its atmosphere slowly leaks into the surrounding space. Impressive dimensions lead to another consequence. The gaseous shell of the giant flows over to the neighboring one. Part of the incoming matter accumulates on the surface of the small companion. When its temperature and density reach a certain critical value, the attracted matter will explode. The white dwarf will not be damaged.

Two objects are surrounded by a nebula, which is the remains of a nova-like star that once exploded. Although many oddities have been explained, R Aquarius remains a mysterious object. As before, the reasons for some features of the star's curved light have not been found.

Snail and Saturn

The nebula surrounding R Aquarius is not the only one in the constellation. In its southern part, an object was discovered, designated as NGC 7293 or the Helix Nebula (aka "Helix"). It is the closest to us among all such space formations.

The Aquarius constellation (a photo of the object is presented below) boasts another beautiful nebula. It is called Saturn or NGC 7009. Indeed, in images taken from a certain distance, the silhouette of the object resembles a gas giant of the solar system.

The constellation Aquarius within its boundaries also "contains" a beautiful globular cluster M2, which is larger than many similar objects. There is also an open cluster here.

Although Aquarius is a dim celestial drawing, it is worthy of the significance that astronomy gives it. Constellations like him are not easy to see in the sky, but when they are studied through a telescope, amazing secrets and beauties of the Universe are revealed.

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Aquarius is a large and dim zodiac constellation located between Capricorn and Pisces. The brightest star has a magnitude of 2.9 "" - this is Beta Aquarius Sadalsuud, translated from Arabic means "the happiest of the happy."

In the constellation is the red dwarf Gliese 876, which has three planets. Red dwarfs are small (in size and mass no more than a third of the Sun) and relatively cold stars, the most numerous in our Galaxy. Of interest is the globular cluster M2 (NGC 7089) with a total magnitude of 6.3. The distance to it is 11.2 kpc. The planetary nebula "Snail" (NGC 7293) is visible through a telescope or binoculars on moonless nights. It is the brightest and largest nebula in the sky, with a magnitude of 6.8. The central star with a surface temperature of more than 60,000 K, which illuminates this grand system of stars, has a magnitude of only 13. The distance to it is about 200 pc.
In Aquarius lies the radiant of the Delta Aquarids meteor shower, the maximum activity of which occurs at the end of July. Among different peoples, the constellation Aquarius was associated with one image - water, the source of all life on earth. Among the ancient Sumerians, Aquarius is one of the most important constellations. It personified the sky god An, who gave life-giving water to the earth. This god was especially important for the people living in the desert, where water was equated with life. The ancient Greeks associated several mythical characters with Aquarius at once. One of them is the young man Ganymede, the son of the Trojan king Tros and the nymph Calliroi. Zeus, admiring his beauty, reincarnated as an Eagle, stole him and carried him to Olympus, where Ganymede became the butler and served the gods. Another character - Deucalion was the king of the Thessalian city of Phthia, the son of Prometheus and Clymene, the husband of Pyrrha. According to legend, for the numerous sins of people, Zeus decided to send a heavy downpour to the earth in order to flood the earth and destroy the entire human race. Prometheus, having learned about this, ordered Deucalion to build a ship so that he could escape on it with his wife. In the Bible, a similar story formed the basis of the legend of Noah and his ark. On ancient maps, he is depicted as a man pouring water.

Looking for a constellation in the sky

The constellation is visible in latitudes from -90° to +65° The constellation is clearly visible in the central and southern regions of Russia. The best conditions for observations are in August and September. The sun enters the constellation on January 19th. Neighboring constellations: Pegasus, Little Horse, Dolphin, Eagle, Capricorn, Southern Fish, Sculptor, Whale, Pisces. Autumn is the best time to observe Aquarius. The constellation is visible low on the southern side of the sky just after sunset. By midnight, it moves to the southwestern part of the sky. The star Altair (alpha Eagle) will help you find the constellation, to the left of which is Aquarius.

In winter, Aquarius is not visible, as it moves across the sky along with the Sun. At the end of spring, the star begins to appear above the horizon with its northern edge at about three in the morning. You can find Aquarius exactly in the east, where Pegasus points to it with its right angle. At the end of summer, the period of good visibility of Aquarius begins. By midnight, the constellation is in a position due south and is at its highest point above the horizon. Pegasus is located above and to the left, and Altair is approximately at the same height with him - to the right of Aquarius.

> Aquarius

Learn big constellation Aquarius between Capricorn and Pisces: name, description with photo, scheme and map of the starry sky, main stars, facts, myth, asterism.

Aquarius - constellation, which is one of the 12 zodiac constellations. You can find it in the southern hemisphere.

In the literal sense, Aquarius means "water carrier" or "he who carries the cup." The symbol displays a water sign, which is also called "sea" because it intersects with other constellations (eg Pisces). Like other representatives of the zodiac circle, Ptolemy wrote it down in the 2nd century.

The constellation Aquarius is remarkable in that it contains the supergiant Beta Aquarius, as well as: globular clusters and, the Aquarius Dwarf Galaxy, NGC 7252 and two famous nebulae: the Saturn Nebula and the Helix Nebula.

Facts, position, map of the constellation Aquarius

Aquarius is the 10th largest constellation with an area of ​​980 square degrees. It is located in the southern hemisphere, the fourth quadrant (SQ4). It can be found at latitudes of +65° and -90°. Adjacent to , and .

It contains two stars that are brighter than magnitude 3.00 and 7 stars that are 32.6 light years (10 parsecs) distant. The first in brightness is Beta Aquarii with a magnitude of 2.87. The nearest one is EZ Aquarii (a system of three M-type dwarfs, 11.27 light-years away). Consider the territory and neighbors of the constellation Aquarius in the photo.

The constellation Aquarius boasts a large number of stars with exoplanets: 91 Aquarius (K0III), HD 210277 (G0V), HD 212771 (G8IV), HD 222582 (G5), HD 220689 (G3V), HD 215152 (K0, two), HD 206610 (K0III), WASP-69 (K5), WASP-70 A (G4), WASP-75 (F9), Gliese 849 (M3.5, two), Gliese 876 (M3.5V, four), WASP-47 ( G9V, four) and WASP-6 (G8).

It also contains 3 Messier objects: (NGC 7089), (NGC 6981) and (NGC 6994), as well as 4 meteor showers: March Aquarids, May Aquarids, Delta Aquarids and Iota Aquarids.

The constellation Aquarius belongs to the group of zodiac constellations (in astrology - 12 signs of the zodiac), among which you can also see,, and.

The myth of the constellation Aquarius

In the form of Aquarius, a young guy was depicted pouring water (nectar) from an amphora into the mouth of the Southern Fish. Usually, Ganymede, the child of King Tros in the myths of Greece, appeared in his image. He was very handsome and caught the eye of Zeus. He decided to disguise himself as an eagle and kidnap him to serve the rest of the gods on Olympus. There is another version. This guy was the son of Prometheus Deucalion, who managed to save the life of himself and his wife during the great flood.

In the mythology of Babylon, he was called GU.LA (great). For the Egyptians, it was the god of the Nile.

The main stars of the constellation Aquarius

Let's take a closer look at the stars of the constellation Aquarius with a photo, as well as their description and characteristics.

- the first in brightness in the constellation. Represents a rare stellar class - yellow supergiants. The apparent magnitude is 2.87 and is 540 light years away. The name comes from the Arabic "sa" d al-suud - "luck of luck." Sometimes it is referred to as Lucida Fortunae Fortunarum, which in Latin means "the most successful luck." Associated with spring and good luck brought by the Sun when it is reborn after the end of winter .

6 times the solar mass and 2200 times the size. It is a triple or multiple star. The primary component (Beta Aquarii A) consists of two bodies, one with a magnitude of 11.0 at a distance of 35.4 arc seconds, and the other with a magnitude of 11.6 and a distance of 57.2 arc seconds.

Alpha Aquarius is a G-type supergiant (yellow) 800 light years away. It is 3000 times brighter than the Sun and has an apparent visual magnitude of 2.950. It got its name from the Arabic phrase "sa "d al-malik" - "the king's luck." Sometimes the star is also called Rucbah, a name that it shares with the Cassiopeia Delta.

Aquarius Delta- occupies the third position in brightness and shares the traditional name with Beta Pegasus. From Arabic "as-saq" - "leg" or "shin". The apparent magnitude is 3.269 and the distance is 160 light years. It is believed to be a member of the Ursa Major Moving Group of Stars. Contains the most significant stars of Ursa Major, sharing a common speed and origin.

Also associated with the meteor shower is the Delta Aquarids. The southern can be seen from mid-July to mid-August with a maximum on July 28-29. The average observation speed is 15-20 meteors per hour. The northern ones last from July 16 to September 10 with a peak in mid-August. The average speed is 10 meteors per hour.

Aquarius Gamma- a spectroscopic binary star with a period of 58.1 days. The apparent magnitude is 3.84 and is 158 light years distant. The name came from the Arabic phrase "sa "d al-axbiyah" - "good luck in the house."

Zeta Aquarius- a double star with an apparent magnitude of 4.42 and a distance of 103 light years. It got its name from the Arabic "sa "d al-tajir" - "merchant's luck".

The brighter Zeta-2 Aquarius is a yellow-white F-type dwarf of magnitude 4.42, while its companion Zeta-1 Aquarius is a yellow-white F-type subgiant of magnitude 4.59. The pair is easy to find, as the stars are almost equally bright.

R Aquarius- a double star with an apparent visual magnitude of 7.69 and a distance of 600 light years.

It is represented by a white dwarf and a red giant (variable star of the Mira type). The white dwarf sucks material out of the red giant with its gravity and sometimes ejects the excess, which creates a nebula around the system - Cederblad 211.

Other famous stars

91 Aquarii is the brightest component in the triple system, 148 light years away. The host star is an orange giant with an apparent magnitude of 4.22 and an extrasolar planet discovered in 2003. It is accompanied by a double star, with a magnitude of 10. A planet rotates around the main star - 91 Aquarius b (HD 219449 b). Removed by 48.5 Gm (less than the Sun-Mercury distance - 57.9 Gm).

Gliese 849 is a red dwarf 29 light years away. It contains the planet Gliese 849b with an orbital distance of 2.35 AU. (found in August 2006). This is an important object, as it turned out to be the first Jupiter-like planet discovered in the orbit of a red dwarf.

Gliese 876 is a red dwarf 15 light years away. The star is very weak. With an apparent magnitude of 10.1 and a close location, you still won't notice it without equipment. In 2010, it was confirmed that 4 extrasolar planets revolve in its orbit. The planet closest to the star is either small, like Neptune, or large, Earth-like. The middle planets are very similar to Jupiter. The outer planet resembles Uranus. The orbits of the outer three planets are fixed in Laplace resonance with a simple integer ratio (1:2:4) between their orbital periods.

88 Aquarius is an orange K-type giant at 243 light years. The apparent magnitude is 3.68.

Lambda Aquarii is an M-type red giant at 392 light years. It is an irregular variable star with an average apparent magnitude of 3.73. By tradition, it is also called Hydor and Ekkhysis, which are translated from ancient Greek as “water” and “outpouring”.

Epsilon Aquarii is a white subgiant and suspicious variable with an apparent magnitude of 3.8 and a distance of 215 light years. By tradition, she was nicknamed "Albali" ("swallow" in Arabic) and Nir Saad Bula ("swallow's brightest luck").

Celestial objects of the constellation Aquarius

Messier 2(M2, NGC 7089) is a globular star cluster located five degrees north of Beta Aquarius. It is 13 billion years old and contains about 150,000 stars, including 21 variables. Due to its diameter (175 light years), it took pride of place among the largest globular clusters.

M2 is 37,500 light years away and has an apparent magnitude of 6.3. The brightest stars are red and yellow giants with a magnitude of 13.1. The constellation was found by Italian astronomer Jean-Dominique Maraldi in 1746, when he was tracking a comet with Jacques Cassini. Charles Messier discovered the cluster in 1760 but mistook it for a nebula. The German astronomer William Herschel was the first to organize the stars in the cluster in 1783.

Messier 72(M72, NGC 6981) is a globular cluster 53,000 light years away. It is located far beyond the Galactic Center. It is 106 light-years across and has an apparent magnitude of 9.3. It contains several blue giant stars and is considered a young cluster. In addition, a significant number of variable stars have been observed, 42 known (mostly of the RR Lyrae type). The brightest has an apparent magnitude of 14.2.

M72 was discovered in 1780 by French astronomer Pierre Méchamp. Together with Charles Messier, they mistook the cluster for a faint nebula. The cluster is hard to find, as it looks like a blurry spot in a 10-inch telescope. However, the 20-inch will allow you to see the stars.

Located three degrees south and 1.5 degrees east of Epsilon Aquarius, or 9 degrees east of Alpha Capricorn.

(M73, NGC 6994) is a four-star asterism located 1.5 degrees east of M72. 2500 light years away. It seems that the stars are close, but there is no connection between them.

Charles Messier discovered the object in 1780 and mistook it for a cluster of 4 stars with a certain nebula. John Herschel was also not entirely convinced that he was seeing the cluster, but included it in his General Catalog of Clusters, Nebulae, and Galaxies.

Until 2002, M73 was perceived as a rarefied open cluster. The study showed that the 6 brightest stars were not only located at very different distances from us, but also moved in different directions.

(NGC 7009) is a planetary nebula formed when a low-mass star became a bright white dwarf. The brightness of the central star is equal to 20 suns, and its apparent magnitude is 11.5. The temperature is about 55,000 K.

It was discovered by Sir William Herschel at the end of the 18th century. The name comes from the English astronomer and telescope builder William Parsons (in the 19th century). In large telescopes, the shape resembles Saturn. It is located one degree west of Nu Aquarius. The star emits strong ultraviolet radiation, producing a fluorescent green hue.

(NGC 7293) is one of the closest bright nebulae to Earth at a distance of 700 light years. It reaches 2.5 light years in size. Located one degree west of Epsilon Aquarius. In small telescopes, it resembles a faint spot of light, and in large (6 inches) it looks like a dark center with a star.

The remnant of the stellar core at the center of the nebula eventually transforms into a white dwarf. It was discovered by German astronomer Carl Ludwig Harding in the 19th century. Due to its appearance, the nebula has earned the nickname "The Eye of God". Became the first discovered planetary nebula with knots.

(PGC 65367, DDO 210) is an irregular dwarf galaxy that is part of the Local Group of Galaxies. It is 3.1 million light-years distant and has an apparent visual magnitude of 14.0.

This is a rare case where a galaxy displays a shift to the blue range of the spectrum. Heading towards the Milky Way Galaxy with an acceleration of 137 km/s.

NGC 7252(“Atoms for the World”) is a kind of elliptical galaxy, 220 million light-years away and with an apparent magnitude of 12.7. It is believed that it was formed after the collision of two disk galaxies a billion years ago.

The shape resembles a diagram of an electron revolving around the nucleus of an atom, which is why it received one of its names - "Atoms for the World" (from a speech by Dwight Eisenhower in 1953). More than 500 ultraluminous clusters are concentrated in the central region, consisting of hot bluish young stars (50-500 million years old).

Inside, there is a spinner-shaped disk-like area that looks like a spiral face that spans 10,000 light-years across. It rotates in the opposite direction of the galactic. This is believed to be evidence of the remnants of a merger.

- an unusual spiral galaxy 76 million light-years from Earth and with an apparent magnitude of 11.5. Area - 4.7" x 3.5".

It owes its appearance to the merger of two spiral galaxies a billion years ago. This led to its being included in the Halton Arp Atlas of Unique Galaxies - Arp 222. But, most likely, in the future it will turn into an elliptical galaxy.

Other objects in Aquarius include the unusual galaxy NGC 7257, the lenticular NGC 7759, the elliptical NGC 7600, the Abell 2597 cluster 1 billion light-years away, and SSA22-HCM1, an extremely bright galaxy at 12.66 billion light-years and with an apparent magnitude of 26 ,6.

You can study the constellation Aquarius more closely if you use not only our photos, but 3D models and an online telescope. For independent search, a static or moving map of the starry sky is suitable.

The last post in the series about the signs of the zodiac is about the constellation Aquarius.
12 signs of the zodiac circle - 12 sectors of 30 °, into which the zodiac belt is divided in astrology
The division of the ecliptic into twelve parts goes back to the sexagesimal number system and astronomy of ancient Babylon, which served as the basis for dividing the year into twelve months, similarly, as the division of the celestial circle into 360 angular fractions adopted there (approximately in accordance with the number of days in a year) was source for dividing a circle by 360 degrees in geometry.

The names of the signs of the zodiac correspond to the zodiac constellations in which the Sun alternately resides in its annual movement. In fact, these concepts differ significantly, because the Constellation is an astronomical concept, meaning a section of the celestial sphere with boundaries established by virtue of historical tradition.
For modern astronomy, the signs of the zodiac, as an element of astrology, are interpreted by modern scientists most likely as a strange and unnecessary misunderstanding that does not belong to true science. But the historical significance of the Signs of the Zodiac cannot be ignored in any way.
Although ordinary admirers of the zodiac constellations are the least concerned about historical significance, give us something practical! After all, they were called upon to reveal the most intimate and secret - the fate of people.

Zodiac clock of the Clock Tower in St. Mark's Square, Venice, 15th century

Constellation Aquarius in astronomy

Aquarius is included in the catalog of the starry sky by Claudius Ptolemy "Almagest".

The constellation Aquarius is located in the southern hemisphere of the starry sky, where it is surrounded by a variety of water inhabitants - the constellations of Cetus, Dolphin, Eridanus and others, due to which the area it occupies is often called the sea. Aquarius, as the ancient Greeks called it, is one of the oldest and largest constellations. To be precise, according to the area occupied in the starry sky, namely 980 square degrees.

The Sun is in the constellation from February 16 to March 11. The Sun enters Aquarius exactly at the moment when winter is replaced by spring, and the season of regular light spring rains begins outside the window.
Unfortunately, there are not many stars in the constellation that can be seen with an ordinary telescope.
The most significant in this constellation can be called three stars - these are alpha, beta and delta Aquarius - Sadalmelik, Sadalsuud, and Skat, respectively.

Sadalsuud is a star of the third magnitude - its apparent magnitude is 2.91m. This celestial body is quite rare, because it belongs to the hot supergiants.

Sadalmelik- the second brightest star in Aquarius after Sadalsuud. Its light is only marginally weaker than that of Beta Aquarius. As usual, the name of the star is rooted in Arabic. Alpha Aquarius' name means "the king's lucky star." Sadalmelik is 750 light years away from Earth. From here, thanks to simple calculations, we can conclude that its luminosity is 3000 times greater than the Sun's, but its diameter is only 60 times greater than the Sun's.

stingray is a white-blue star, its mass is approximately twice the mass of Skat's Sun.

In addition to stars and meteor showers, globular clusters and nebulae can be recognized in Aquarius. For example, the planetary nebula Helix, whose common designation is NGC 7293

Pictures of the Helix Nebula

The constellation Aquarius within its boundaries also "contains" a beautiful globular cluster M2, which is larger than many similar objects. There is also an open cluster here.

Cluster NGC 7089

Cluster NGC 7089

Although Aquarius is a dim celestial drawing, it is worthy of the significance that astronomy gives it. Constellations like him are not easy to see in the sky, but when they are studied through a telescope, amazing secrets and beauties of the Universe are revealed.

Aquarius in mythology

Among the ancient Sumerians, Aquarius was one of the most important constellations, since it personified the sky god Ana, who gives life-giving water to the earth. According to the Greeks, Aquarius depicts several mythical characters at once, for example, Ganymede, a Trojan youth who became a butler on Olympus; Deucalion - the hero of the Flood; Kekrop - the ancient king of Attica.

Ganymede by Benedetto Gennari The Younger (1633-1715, Italy)

Ganymede(dr. Greek “starting fun”) - in Greek mythology, a beautiful young man, the son of the Trojan king Tros (after whom Troy was named) and the nymph Kalliroi
Because of his extraordinary beauty, Ganymede was abducted by Zeus and transferred by the eagle of Zeus to Olympus (according to another version, Zeus himself turned into an eagle),
On Olympus, he was granted immortality, and Zeus appointed him the heavenly cupbearer. Ganymede during the festivities offered nectar pouring from a jug like water to the Olympian deities.
Whether Ganymede was Zeus's lover is a debatable question, and different authors have answered it differently.

Throughout the Middle Ages, Ganymede symbolizes homosexuality, and the "pro" and "contra" of the two types of love is discussed in the frivolous Latin poem "The Dispute between Helena and Ganymede." Only the Neoplatonist allegorists of the Renaissance read something more spiritual in the myth and found in it a symbol of the ascent of the soul to the absolute, and even there were theologians who compared the ascending Christ with Ganymede. Similarly, Goethe's Ganymede ascends into the ethereal embrace of the all-loving Father.

Peter Paul Rubens The Abduction of Ganymede

Deucalion is considered an Aquarius son of Prometheus. On the advice of his father Prometheus, Deucalion built a huge box, put food in it, and entered it with his wife. For nine days and nights, the box of Deucalion was carried along the waves of the sea, which covered the whole land. Finally, the waves drove him to the two-headed peak of Parnassus. The downpour sent by Zeus stopped. Deucalion and Pyrrha came out of the box and made a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Zeus, who kept them amid the stormy waves. The water subsided

Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich global flood

Aquarius in astrology

The ancients assigned a very large place to astrology. The signs of the zodiac were even used in medicine.


Illustration from the Hours of the Duke of Berry, 15th century, showing the relationship of the signs of the zodiac with the Hippocratic temperaments in accordance with the "hot-cold" and "wet-dry" zodiac constellations
In the 20th and 21st centuries, not far from the ancients. We continue to check health, characters, and even fate with horoscopes.

AQUARIUS
January 21 - February 18
the pictographic symbol is two wavy lines that represent the serpent of wisdom.
This zodiac sign represents change and testing.

Element: air

Planet: Saturn, Uranus

Stone: obsidian, sapphire

Talisman: icon, key

Color: silver, blue

Since Aquarius is ruled by two planets at once, its character is ambiguous.
Uranus is the main ruler of Aquarius. It is he who stirs up interest in various kinds of innovations and gives strength to make radical changes in one's own life.
Saturn is the junior ruler of Aquarius. It can balance the unpredictability of Uranus and deprive the representative of this sign of formalism. It is manifested by the rigor of thinking, the ability to clearly formulate and observe traditions that feed their creativity.

The favorite activities of a representative of this zodiac sign are gaining new knowledge and traveling. He tends to analyze everything that happens around him. He never changes his principles and boldly enters the fight if he encounters obstacles.

Aquarius is the sociable sign of the zodiac. He has many friends, but he can only name one or two people as a friend. People are attracted by his benevolence and ability to come to the rescue at any moment. However, others consider him tactless because he often directly asks personal questions. Such accusations are false. Aquarius does not seek to offend the interlocutor, but wants to solve the complex riddle of human relations.

Aquarians are attractive, energetic and sociable people. They are endowed with strong intuition. These signs know how to be friends, it is always interesting to communicate with them. They are excellent organizers. Aquarians love risk, so they boldly take on promising projects. They know how to make money.

Representatives of the sign love to receive guests. They organize leisure activities in an interesting way. Therefore, their house is always full of friends. Well versed in people. Aquarius bear full responsibility for themselves and their loved ones. They are wonderful parents. Their children grow up surrounded by love and affection.

Aquarians are avid realists, despite the fact that their address is tomorrow. You must always be ready for all sorts of surprises with this sign. Mostly kind and calm in nature, they take great pleasure in defying public opinion and secretly enjoy shocking conservative people with their unusual behavior.