Sagitta
Encyclopedia
Sagitta is a constellation
. Its name is Latin
for "arrow", and it should not be confused with the larger constellation Sagittarius
, the archer. Although ancient, it is insignificant, for it has no star brighter than the 4th magnitude and is the third smallest of all constellation
s (only Equuleus
and Crux
are smaller). It was included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy
, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union
. Located not very far to the north of the equator, this constellation can be seen from everywhere on Earth except within the Antarctic circle
.
Sagitta lies within the Milky Way
and is bordered by the following constellations (beginning at the north and then continuing clockwise): the little fox Vulpecula
, the mythological hero Hercules
, the eagle Aquila
and the dolphin Delphinus.
This constellation is one of those cases where Johann Bayer
chose to name the stars in a non-brightness order, in this case even putting the brightest star to a mere γ. Another example of such a deviation from the usual brightness order is the constellation Sagittarius
.
, Hebrews, Greeks
and Roman
s. The Arabs called it as-Sahm, a name that was transferred and confused to the name Sham now referring to α Sge
only.
, Sagitta was regarded as the weapon that Hercules used to kill the eagle (Aquila) of Jove
that perpetually gnawed Prometheus
' liver. The Arrow is located beyond the north border of Aquila
, the Eagle. Others believe the Arrow to be the one shot by Hercules towards the adjacent Stymphalian birds (6th labor) who had claws, beaks and wings of iron, and who lived on human flesh in the marshes of Arcadia
- Aquila the Eagle
and Cygnus the Swan
, and the Vulture
- and still lying between them, whence the title Herculea
. Eratosthenes
claimed it as the arrow with which Apollo
exterminated the Cyclopes
.
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
. Its name is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for "arrow", and it should not be confused with the larger constellation Sagittarius
Sagittarius (constellation)
Sagittarius is a constellation of the zodiac, the one containing the galactic center. Its name is Latin for the archer, and its symbol is , a stylized arrow. Sagittarius is commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow...
, the archer. Although ancient, it is insignificant, for it has no star brighter than the 4th magnitude and is the third smallest of all constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
s (only Equuleus
Equuleus
Equuleus is a constellation. Its name is Latin for 'little horse', a foal. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It is the second smallest of the modern constellations , spanning only 72 square degrees...
and Crux
Crux
Crux is the smallest of the 88 modern constellations, but is one of the most distinctive. Its name is Latin for cross, and it is dominated by a cross-shaped asterism that is commonly known as the Southern Cross.-Visibility:...
are smaller). It was included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
. Located not very far to the north of the equator, this constellation can be seen from everywhere on Earth except within the Antarctic circle
Antarctic Circle
The Antarctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs south of the Equator.-Description:...
.
Sagitta lies within the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
and is bordered by the following constellations (beginning at the north and then continuing clockwise): the little fox Vulpecula
Vulpecula
Vulpecula is a faint constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for "little fox", although it is commonly known simply as the fox. It was identified in the seventeenth century, and is located in the middle of the Summer Triangle .-Stars:There are no stars brighter than 4th magnitude in...
, the mythological hero Hercules
Hercules (constellation)
Hercules is a constellation named after Hercules, the Roman mythological hero adapted from the Greek hero Heracles. Hercules was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today...
, the eagle Aquila
Aquila (constellation)
Aquila is a stellar constellation. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and it is commonly represented as such. In mythology, Aquila was owned by the Roman god Jupiter and performed many tasks for him....
and the dolphin Delphinus.
Stars
The following are some of Sagitta's brightest stars:- α SgeAlpha SagittaeAlpha Sagittae is a star in the constellation Sagitta. It has the traditional name Sham or Alsahm which comes to us from Arabic سهم sahm and means Arrow, the name formerly having been applied to the whole constellation....
: also known as ShamShamSham, a word found in Arabic, English and Chinese, may refer to:-Arabic use:* Sham, or Alsahm, the Arabic name for the star Alpha Sagittae* Sham, , al-Sham, or Bilad al-Sham, endonym of the region bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, usually known as the Levant or Greater Syria, comprising...
, this yellow bright giant star of spectral classStellar classificationIn astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on their spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star is a designated class of a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective measure...
G1 II (with 4.37m) lies at a distance of 610 light-years and together with β Sge (also 4.37m) forms either the feathers of the shaft or the two-pointed arrow once used in the Roman army. - γ Sge: this cool giant (M0 III, 3.47m) represents with the stars δ Sge and ε Sge the shaft. It lies at a distance of merely 170 light-years.
- δ Sge: M2 II+A0 V (suspected visual double; probably single image, composite spectrum), 3.82m
- ε Sge: G8 III, 5.66m, multiple star (4 components; component B is optical)
- η Sge: this star of spectral class K2 III with 5.1m belongs to the Hyades moving group.
Deep sky objects
- M71: this object is a very loose globular clusterGlobular clusterA globular cluster is a spherical collection of stars that orbits a galactic core as a satellite. Globular clusters are very tightly bound by gravity, which gives them their spherical shapes and relatively high stellar densities toward their centers. The name of this category of star cluster is...
mistaken for quite some time for a dense open clusterOpen clusterAn open cluster is a group of up to a few thousand stars that were formed from the same giant molecular cloud and have roughly the same age. More than 1,100 open clusters have been discovered within the Milky Way Galaxy, and many more are thought to exist...
. It lies at a distance of about 13,000 light-years from Earth and was first discovered by the French astronomer Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in the year 1745 or 1746.
History
The Greeks who are sometimes believed to have formed this constellation called it Oistos. The Romans named it Sagitta.This constellation is one of those cases where Johann Bayer
Johann Bayer
Johann Bayer was a German lawyer and uranographer . He was born in Rain, Bavaria, in 1572. He began his study of philosophy in Ingolstadt in 1592, and moved later to Augsburg to begin work as a lawyer. He grew interested in astronomy during his time in Augsburg...
chose to name the stars in a non-brightness order, in this case even putting the brightest star to a mere γ. Another example of such a deviation from the usual brightness order is the constellation Sagittarius
Sagittarius (constellation)
Sagittarius is a constellation of the zodiac, the one containing the galactic center. Its name is Latin for the archer, and its symbol is , a stylized arrow. Sagittarius is commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow...
.
Mythology
Although Sagitta doesn't contain any bright stars, its shape is reminiscent of an arrow, and many cultures have interpreted it thus, among them the PersiansPersian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
, Hebrews, Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
and Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
s. The Arabs called it as-Sahm, a name that was transferred and confused to the name Sham now referring to α Sge
Alpha Sagittae
Alpha Sagittae is a star in the constellation Sagitta. It has the traditional name Sham or Alsahm which comes to us from Arabic سهم sahm and means Arrow, the name formerly having been applied to the whole constellation....
only.
Ancient Greece
In Ancient GreeceAncient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
, Sagitta was regarded as the weapon that Hercules used to kill the eagle (Aquila) of Jove
JOVE
JOVE is an open-source, Emacs-like text editor, primarily intended for Unix-like operating systems. It also supports MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. JOVE was inspired by Gosling Emacs but is much smaller and simpler, lacking Mocklisp...
that perpetually gnawed Prometheus
Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
' liver. The Arrow is located beyond the north border of Aquila
Aquila (constellation)
Aquila is a stellar constellation. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and it is commonly represented as such. In mythology, Aquila was owned by the Roman god Jupiter and performed many tasks for him....
, the Eagle. Others believe the Arrow to be the one shot by Hercules towards the adjacent Stymphalian birds (6th labor) who had claws, beaks and wings of iron, and who lived on human flesh in the marshes of Arcadia
Arcadia
Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
- Aquila the Eagle
Aquila (constellation)
Aquila is a stellar constellation. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and it is commonly represented as such. In mythology, Aquila was owned by the Roman god Jupiter and performed many tasks for him....
and Cygnus the Swan
Cygnus (constellation)
Cygnus is a northern constellation lying on the plane of the Milky Way. Its name is the Latinized Hellenic word for swan. One of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross...
, and the Vulture
Lyra
Lyra is a small constellation. It is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Its principal star, Vega — a corner of the Summer Triangle — is one of the brightest...
- and still lying between them, whence the title Herculea
Herculea
Herculea was a southern Italian colony of the classical Greek city Megara which was located on the isthmus across to the Peloponnese, adjacent to Corinth and Attica...
. Eratosthenes
Eratosthenes
Eratosthenes of Cyrene was a Greek mathematician, poet, athlete, geographer, astronomer, and music theorist.He was the first person to use the word "geography" and invented the discipline of geography as we understand it...
claimed it as the arrow with which Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
exterminated the Cyclopes
Cyclops
A cyclops , in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, was a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead...
.