acuarius

Aquarius is a member of the Zodiac, a group of constellations that the Sun travels through each year. It is best viewed in the fall in the southern sky, although much of the northern hemisphere can see the Waterbearer in the spring. Aquarius is one of the oldest constellations in the sky

Mithology

Aquarius is sometimes identified with Ganymede, a beautiful youth in Greek mythology with whom Zeus fell in love and, in the disguise of an eagle (represented by the constellation Aquila), carried off to Olympus to be "cup-bearer" to the gods. Aquarius has also been identified as the pourer of the waters that flooded the Earth in the ancient Greek version of the Great Flood myth. As such, the constellation Eridanus the river is sometimes identified as a river being poured by Aquarius.

Aquarius may also, together with the constellation Pegasus, be part of the origin of the myth of the Mares of Diomedes, which forms one of The Twelve Labours of Heracles . Its association with pouring out rivers, and the nearby constellation of Capricornus, may be the source of the myth of the Augean stable, which forms another of the labours.

How to find Aquarius in the night sky 

1 Wait for a dark autumn evening. Aquarius is comprised of very dim stars and is hard to find on even the darkest of nights. If the moon is out or you go outside at dusk, you have little chance of identifying Aquarius.

2 Find the Great Square of Pegasus first. The Great Square is a staple of the autumn night sky. It rises in the east in northern latitudes and can be plainly seen. It comes up like a giant kite or baseball diamond and is, of course, in the shape of a huge square. Aquarius is to the east, or the right, of this shape.

3 Look at the area to the right of what would be first base if the Great Square were a baseball diamond. If you have a keen eye and a clear view of this space, you will see what looks like a small triangle with a star not quite in the center. This is the head and arms of Aquarius, which is supposed to be a man pouring water from a great jar. Other constellations that border Aquarius include Capricornus and Aquila the Eagle. Aquila contains the bright star Altair. If the Great Square is one corner of a triangle, with Altair as another, then Aquarius is in the vicinity of what would complete the triangle.

4 Glance downwards from this triangle and try to make out the "legs" of Aquarius. The Water Bearer is bowlegged for sure. The legs branch out underneath him like a pair of parenthesis. The stars that make them up are not bright by any means, but if you have the right conditions you will see them and be able to discern their shape.

5 The brightest star in Aquarius is just to the right of the triangle that forms his head and arms. It is estimated to be almost 100 times larger than our own sun. There are now more modern and alternative connections of the stars in Aquarius. In the modern version of the February Zodiac constellation, that particular star is located in the neck of the Water Bearer. The newer way astromomers connect the stars in this region does look like a man with a water jug, but the stars they connect are so faint it is difficult to jump to that conclusion.