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 a clean field, which artificial lighting does not reach . Such celestial drawings include the constellation Aquarius.
Observation
In the conditions of the city, especially in the northern latitudes, it is not easy to find it in the sky, although it is possible. The best time to watch is summer. The reference point for the search is the clearly visible constellation Pegasus, immediately below which Aquarius is located. Its silhouette in the south of the country is more expressive.
The constellation of Aquarius in the sky can be recognized by the more or less vivid asterism of the Pitcher related to it. It is formed by five luminaries, visually creating an inverted letter Y with Zeta Aquarius in the middle.
Myths
The constellation Aquarius is not covered in legends. The reason for this lies in the relative dullness of its elements. However, several mythological subjects are still connected with him. In Ancient Greece, Aquarius was associated with Ganymede, whom Zeus called for Olympus. A handsome young man was to serve as a cupbearer under the gods. In return, the Thunderer promised Ganymede immortality. Heus intervened in the plans of Zeus, who did not want to see the young man among his associates. As a result, Ganymede gained the promised immortality by becoming a constellation. And to this day he pours wine from a jug.
Aquarius also associated with the legend of the flood, and also served as a harbinger of irrigation work.
The brightest
Despite some inexpressiveness, the constellation of Aquarius itself, the stars and other space objects that make up its composition are worthy of attention. Most of them are visible 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 distant from Earth. In mass, it is 6 times greater than the Sun, and in diameter - 50. The luminosity of Sadalsuud is 2200 times greater than the similar parameter of our star. However, from the Earth Beta Aquarius seems 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 in no hurry to reveal his secrets to astronomers. It has a luminosity and a diameter of 3 thousand and 60 times, respectively, exceeding the similar parameters of the Sun. The measurements obtained suggest that the alpha of Aquarius is approaching the end of its existence. According to accumulated data, luminaries with similar characteristics, as a rule, are variables of the Cepheus delta type. However, in practice Sadalmelik can not be attributed to this class. And this is one of his main secrets: the reasons why the "behavior" of the luminary is not consistent with the theory and previously obtained information about similar objects are not clear.
Scientists attributed the alpha of Aquarius to the type of hybrid stars. The surface temperature of Sadalmelic is close to solar, therefore, taking into account other characteristics, it should have the same crown as that observed by our luminary in the days of a total eclipse. Similar in temperature, but with greater brightness stars do not have such an ornament. Their magnetic field causes a strong circumstellar wind, much colder than the surface. Sadalmelik, again deviating from theory, has both a crown and a wind.
Symbiotic variable
The constellation Aquarius is distinguished by several objects of great interest to science. One of them is R Aquarius, a variable star located 650 light-years from the Sun. Changes in its brilliance were noticed back in the 19th century. Today, the luminary is attributed to symbiotic variables. R Aquarius is a system of two stars that are very different in their characteristics - the red giant and the white dwarf, "cooperating" with each other, like organisms that make up biological symbiosis.
The red giant has such a huge diameter that the outer part of its atmosphere slowly leaks into the surrounding space. Impressive dimensions lead to yet another consequence. The gas shell of the giant flows onto an adjacent white dwarf. Part of the incoming substance accumulates on the surface of a small companion. When its temperature and density reaches a certain critical value, the attracted substance will explode. The white dwarf will not be damaged.
Two objects are surrounded by a nebula, which is the remnants of an exploding once-new star. Although many oddities have been explained, R of Aquarius remains a mysterious object. The reasons for some features of the star’s curved light are still not found.
Snail and Saturn
The nebula surrounding R of Aquarius is not the only one in the constellation. In its southern part, an object is identified, designated as NGC 7293 or the Snail nebula (aka Helix). She is the closest to us among all such space formations.
The constellation of Aquarius (photo of the object is presented below) boasts another beautiful nebula. It is called Saturn or NGC 7009. Indeed, in photographs taken from a certain distance, the silhouette of the object resembles the gas giant of the solar system.
The constellation Aquarius within its borders also contains a beautiful globular cluster M2, which is larger in size than many similar objects. There is also an open cluster.
Although Aquarius is a dim heavenly figure, it is worthy of the significance that astronomy gives it. Constellations like him are not just visible in the sky, but when studied through a telescope, amazing secrets and beauties of the Universe are revealed.