Aquarius is one of the constellations of the zodiac and belongs to the 88 modern constellations.
According to the tropical astrology the Sun resides in Aquarius from January 20 to February 18, while in the sidereal astrology is it said to transit it from February 15 to March 14. Astrologically, this is associated with the planet Uranus.
The constellation’s name comes from the Latin for water carrier and was first depicted on early Babylonian stones as a boy pouring water from a vase. It was first described by Ptolemy.
This constellation from the Northern Hemisphere lies between Capricorn to the east and Pisces to the west.
Stars at Aquarius
1. Sadalsuud – β Aquarii (Beta Aquarii)
Sadalsuud is the brightest star in Aquarius. It belongs to a rare class of stars, the yellow supergiants. It has an apparent magnitude of 2.87 and is approximately 540 light years distant. Its name comes from the Arabic phrase sa’d al-suud, meaning the “luck of lucks.” Beta Aquarii has also sometimes been referred to as Lucida Fortunae Fortunarum, which is Latin for the “brightest luck of lucks.” The star is associated with the spring and the good fortune brought by the Sun when it rises after winter has passed.
Sadalsuud has a mass that is six times that of the Sun and is 2,200 times more luminous than the Sun. It is a triple or multiple star. The primary component, Beta Aquarii A, has two optical components, one with a magnitude of 11.0, lying 35.4 arc seconds away, and another with a magnitude of 11.6, 57.2 arc seconds away.
2. Sadalmelik – α Aquarii (Alpha Aquarii)
Sadalmelik is a G-type (yellow) supergiant, approximately 800 light years distant. It is 3000 times more luminous than the Sun and has an apparent magnitude of 2.950.
Its name is derived from the Arabic phrase sa’d al-malik, which means “luck of the king.” Sometimes the star is also called Rucbah, a name it shares with Delta Cassiopeiae.
3. Skat – δ Aquarii (Delta Aquarii)
Skat, Delta Aquarii, shares its traditional name with Beta Pegasi (Scheat). The name is derived from the Arabic as-saq, which means leg or shin. Skat is the third brightest star in Aquarius.
It is believed to be a member of the Ursa Major Moving Group (Collinder 285), an association of stars that includes the most prominent stars of Ursa Major, which share common velocities and origin.
The star has an apparent magnitude of 3.269 and is approximately 160 light years distant.
Delta Aquarii is associated with a meteor shower, the Delta Aquariids. The Southern Delta Aquariids shower is visible from mid-July to mid-August, it peaks on July 28 or 29, and has an average meteor observation rate of 15-20 per hour, while the Northern Delta Aquariids last from July 16 to September 10 and peak in mid-August with an average rate of 10 meteors per hour.
4. Sadachbia – γ Aquarii (Gamma Aquarii)
Sadachbia, Gamma Aquarii, has an apparent magnitude of 3.84 and is 158 light years distant. Its name is derived from the Arabic phrase sa’d al-axbiyah, which means “luck of the homes” (tents). Gamma Aquarii is a spectroscopic binary star with a period of 58.1 days.
5. Sadaltager – ζ Aquarii (Zeta Aquarii)
Sadaltager, Zeta Aquarii, is another binary star, located at the centre of the water jar asterism. It has an apparent magnitude of 4.42 and is 103 light years distant. Its name comes from the Arabic expression sa’d al-tajir, which means “luck of the merchant.” Sometimes it is also called Altager, another variant of the same name.
The brighter component, Zeta-2 Aquarii, is a yellow-white F-type main sequence dwarf, while the companion, Zeta-1 Aquarii, is a yellow-white F-type subgiant. The pair is easy to resolve, as the stars are almost equally bright. Zeta-1 Aquarii has a visual magnitude of 4.59 and Zeta-2, of 4.42.
Mythology
Aquarius is depicted as a young man pouring water (or alternatively, nectar) from an amphora into the mouth of the Southern Fish, represented by the constellation Piscis Austrinus.
Aquarius is usually associated with Ganymede, the son of King Tros, in Greek mythology. Ganymede was a beautiful Trojan youth who caught Zeus’ eye, which prompted the god to disguise himself as an eagle (represented by the constellation Aquila) and carry him off to Olympus to serve as cup-bearer to the gods. In a different story, the constellation represents Deucalion, son of Prometheus, who survived the great flood along with his wife Pyrrha.
In Babylonian mythology, Aquarius is identified as GU.LA (the great one), the god Ea himself and, in Egyptian tales, the constellation was said to represent the god of the Nile.
Reference: http://www.astronomytrek.com/aquarius-the-water-carrier/ https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-19478434-stock-footage-aquarius-constellation-on-a-beautiful-starry-night-background.html https://www.thehoroscope.co/sign-articles/aquarius-Aquarius-Constellation-Facts-26.html http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/aquarius-constellation/