Aquarius
What is Aquarius?
Constellations· Autumn evenings (N) · north of Fomalhaut, the Y-shaped jar. The water-bearer: a large but faint constellation whose small Y of stars is the jar, with a stream of stars running down toward the bright star Fomalhaut. It holds the Helix Nebula and the globular cluster M2.
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Stars of the figure
| Star | Magnitude |
|---|---|
| Sadalsuud | 2.9 |
| Sadalmelik | 3.0 |
| Skat | 3.3 |
| Sadachbia | 3.8 |
The 4 brightest of the 9 stars used in the figure (8 lines). Lower magnitude means brighter.
Constellation basics
| Season | autumn evenings, September–November |
|---|---|
| Brightest star | Sadalsuud (2.9) |
| How to find | the small Y of stars between the Great Square and Fomalhaut |
| Area rank | 10th of 88 |
Figures are representative approximations. Source: compiled from NASA and IAU public data.
Halley's May meteors — the Eta Aquariids
Before dawn in early May, meteors stream from the direction of Aquarius. These are the Eta Aquariids, and their raw material is dust left by Halley's Comet. Returning to the Sun about every 76 years, Halley has scattered dust along its orbit, and Earth passes through that dusty path twice a year. In May the dust makes meteors from Aquarius, and in October from Orion.
Because the point the meteors radiate from rises only near dawn, mid-northern latitudes see only about 10 to 20 an hour. In the southern hemisphere that point climbs higher, and the shower ranks among the best of the year. The meteors hit the air at 66 km per second, fast enough to leave long trails. Halley itself will not return until 2061, but dust from its path streaks the sky every spring and autumn.
The constellation in depth
To the Babylonians Aquarius was a god pouring water; to the Greeks he was Ganymede, the boy who poured wine for Zeus. The Sun passes through these stars in February and March, once the rainy season of the ancient Near East. So Aquarius sits with watery neighbours such as the Fishes, the Sea-goat and the Whale in a stretch of sky called the Sea.
Its most famous object is the Helix Nebula, about 650 light-years away. It is the cloud of gas thrown off as the outer layers of an ageing Sun-like star, and in photographs it looks like a giant eye. It is one of the nearest objects of its kind to Earth. The constellation also holds the Saturn Nebula, visible in small telescopes, and the globular clusters M2 and M72.
On autumn evenings, dropping south from the Great Square of Pegasus leads into a wide field of faint stars, with a small Y-shaped group in the middle: the water jar. The stream flows down toward bright Fomalhaut in the south. With the Sky view set to an October night and deep-sky objects on, the Helix Nebula's position is marked.
Frequently asked
- When can I see Aquarius?
- Aquarius is best seen in autumn evenings, September–November.
- How do I find Aquarius?
- To find Aquarius, look for the small Y of stars between the Great Square and Fomalhaut.
- What is the brightest star in Aquarius?
- The brightest star in Aquarius is Sadalsuud, at magnitude 2.9.
Related
Figures are representative approximations. Simulated positions use J2000 mean elements.