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Stars and Sticks| Abbreviation | Sge |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Arrow |
| Pronunciation Guide is based on “Pronouncing Astronomical Names,” published in 1943 by the American Astronomical Society. | suh-JIT-uh |
| Genitive The genitive is the Latin possessive form used in star names. For example, Alpha Orionis means “the Alpha of Orion.” | suh-JIT-ee |
| Best Month | August |
| Visibility | Northern |
| Origin | AncientThese figures are rooted in the classical Greek and Mesopotamian traditions cataloged by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. |
| Author | PtolemyPtolemy, a 2nd-century Greco-Egyptian astronomer, cataloged the 48 classical constellations in his landmark work, the Almagest. These form the core of the 88 modern constellations recognized today. |
| Type | constellation |
| Difficulty | Challenging |
| Description | The Arrow is the third smallest constellation yet one of the most ancient, recognized as an arrow by Greeks, Persians, Arabs, and Hebrews alike for thousands of years. Several mythological arrows were proposed — the arrow Hercules used to free Prometheus by shooting the eagle that tormented him daily; the arrow Apollo used to slay the Cyclopes; or the arrow of Eros himself. It flies through the heart of the Milky Way between Aquila and Vulpecula. The constellation contains M71 — a globular cluster long debated as to whether it was a rich open cluster or a sparse globular; modern analysis confirmed it as a globular, about 13,000 light-years away and one of the densest known. |
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Images: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik · IAU and Sky & Telescope · Stellarium — Full credits →
