Sagittarius
agittarius is usually depicted as a centaur holding a bow and arrow. The constellation’s symbol is . It is also associated with Crotus, the satyr who kept company of the Muses on Mount Helicon. Sagittarius is one of the largest southern constellations.
In Greek mythology, Sagittarius represents a centaur, a half human, half horse creature with the torso of a man and the body and four legs of a horse. The centaur is depicted as aiming an arrow toward the heart of the neighbouring constellation Scorpio, represented by the red supergiant star Antares. Sometimes Sagittarius is wrongly identified as the centaur Chiron, represented by the constellation Centaurus.
Sagittarius constellation has its roots in Sumerian mythology. Eratosthenes associated it with Crotus, a mythical creature with two feet and a satyr’s tail, who was the nurse to the nine Muses, daughters of Zeus.
Mythology
Location
Sagittarius is at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, and the galaxy is at its densest point as it makes its way through Sagittarius.
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Right ascension: 19.11 hours
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Declination: -25.8 degrees.
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Visible: between 55 degrees and -90 degree
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Best viewed: August around 9 p.m.
Deep Sky Objects in Sagittarius
NGC 5792
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NGC 5792 is another barred spiral galaxy in Libra. It has an apparent magnitude of 12.1 and is approximately 83 million light years distant from the Sun.
NGC 5890
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NGC 5890 is an unbarred lenticular galaxy in Libra. It was discovered by the American astronomer Ormond Stone in April 1785. It has an apparent magnitude of 14.
NGC 5897
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NGC 5897 is a relatively large globular cluster in Libra.
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It has an integrated magnitude of 9 and is approximately 40,000 light years distant from the solar system.
NGC 5885
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NGC 5885 is a barred spiral galaxy in Libra.
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It has an apparent magnitude of 11.8. The galaxy was discovered by William Herschel on May 9, 1784.
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