There are patterns in the night sky that are hard to see when you are 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 artificial lighting does not reach. The constellation Aquarius can be attributed to the number of such celestial drawings.
Observation
In urban conditions, 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 the clearly visible constellation Pegasus, 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 associated with it. It is formed by five luminaries, visually creating an inverted Y with Zeta Aquarius 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 stories are still connected with him. In ancient Greece, Aquarius was associated with Ganymede,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 other space objects that make up 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 that of our luminary. 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 delta Cephei variables. 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 classified Alpha Aquarius as a type of hybrid star. 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 with greater brightness, stars do not have such decoration. 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 features several objects of great scientific interest. One of them is R Aquarius, 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 - a system of two stars, very different in their characteristics - a red giant and a white dwarf, "cooperating" with each other, like organisms constituting a biological symbiosis.
The red giant has such a huge diameter that the outer part of its atmosphere is slowly leaking into the surrounding space. Impressive dimensions lead to another consequence. The gas envelope of the giant flows tonearby white dwarf. Part of the incoming substance 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. Causes of some of the star's light curve features have still 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 constellation of Aquarius (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 in 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 figure, it is worthy of the significance that astronomy gives it. Constellations like him are not easy to spot in the sky, but when they are studied through a telescope, amazing secrets and beauties are revealed. Universe.
