Aquila is a
constellationIn modern astronomy, a constellation is an area of the celestial sphere, defined by exact boundaries.The term "constellation" can also be used loosely to refer to just the more prominent visible stars that seem to form a pattern in that area.-Definitions:...
. Its name is
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
for '
eagleEagles are large birds of prey which are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa...
' and it is commonly represented as such. It lies roughly at the
celestial equatorThe celestial equator is a great circle on the imaginary celestial sphere, in the same plane as the Earth's equator. In other words, it is a projection of the terrestrial equator out into space...
. The alpha star,
AltairAltair is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and the twelfth brightest star in the night sky...
, is a
vertexIn geometry, a vertex is a special kind of point which describes the corners or intersections of geometric shapes. Vertices are commonly used in computer graphics to define the corners of surfaces in 3D models, where each such point is given as a vector.-Of an angle:The vertex of an angle is the...
of the
Summer TriangleThe Summer Triangle is an astronomical asterism involving an imaginary triangle drawn on the northern hemisphere's celestial sphere, with its defining vertices at Altair, Deneb, and Vega, being the brightest stars in the three constellations of Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra.The English term was...
asterismIn astronomy, an asterism is a pattern of stars seen in Earth's sky which is not an official constellation. Like constellations, they are composed of stars which, while they are in the same general direction, are not physically related, often being at significantly different distances from Earth....
.
Aquila was one of the 48
constellationIn modern astronomy, a constellation is an area of the celestial sphere, defined by exact boundaries.The term "constellation" can also be used loosely to refer to just the more prominent visible stars that seem to form a pattern in that area.-Definitions:...
s described by the 2nd century astronomer
PtolemyClaudius Ptolemaeus , known in English as Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Greek ancestry. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer and a poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under the Roman Empire, and is believed to have been born in the town of...
. It is also mentioned by
EudoxusEudoxus of Cnidus was a Greek astronomer, mathematician, scholar and student of Plato. Since all his own works are lost, our knowledge of him is obtained from secondary sources, such as Aratus's poem on astronomy...
in the
4th century BCThe 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 300 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:This century marked the height of Classical Greek civilization in all of its aspects...
and
AratusAratus was a Greek didactic poet, known for his technical poetry.- Biography :He was born in Soli in Cilicia and was a contemporary of Callimachus and Theocritus. He is known to have studied with Menecrates in Ephesus and Philitas in Cos...
in the
3rd century BCThe 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:...
. It is now one of the 88 constellations defined by the
International Astronomical UnionThe International Astronomical Union is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
.
The constellation was also known as
Vultur volans (the flying vulture) to the
RomansAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, not to be confused with
Vultur cadens which was the Romans' name for what is now known as
LyraLyra is a constellation. Its name derived from the lyre, a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in classical antiquity and later. Lyra was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the...
.
Ptolemy catalogued nineteen stars jointly in this constellation and in the now obsolete constellation of
AntinousAntinous is an obsolete constellation no longer in use by astronomers, having been merged into Aquila, which it bordered to the North.The constellation was created by the emperor Hadrian in 132. According to legend, Hadrian was told by an oracle that only death of his most beloved person would save...
, which was named in the reign of the emperor
HadrianPublius Aelius Hadrianus was emperor of Rome from AD 117 to 138, as well as a Stoic and Epicurean philosopher...
(AD 117–138), but sometimes erroneously attributed to
Tycho BraheTycho Brahe, born Tyge Ottesen Brahe , was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
, who catalogued twelve stars in Aquila and seven in Antinous.
Aquila is a
constellationIn modern astronomy, a constellation is an area of the celestial sphere, defined by exact boundaries.The term "constellation" can also be used loosely to refer to just the more prominent visible stars that seem to form a pattern in that area.-Definitions:...
. Its name is
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
for '
eagleEagles are large birds of prey which are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa...
' and it is commonly represented as such. It lies roughly at the
celestial equatorThe celestial equator is a great circle on the imaginary celestial sphere, in the same plane as the Earth's equator. In other words, it is a projection of the terrestrial equator out into space...
. The alpha star,
AltairAltair is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and the twelfth brightest star in the night sky...
, is a
vertexIn geometry, a vertex is a special kind of point which describes the corners or intersections of geometric shapes. Vertices are commonly used in computer graphics to define the corners of surfaces in 3D models, where each such point is given as a vector.-Of an angle:The vertex of an angle is the...
of the
Summer TriangleThe Summer Triangle is an astronomical asterism involving an imaginary triangle drawn on the northern hemisphere's celestial sphere, with its defining vertices at Altair, Deneb, and Vega, being the brightest stars in the three constellations of Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra.The English term was...
asterismIn astronomy, an asterism is a pattern of stars seen in Earth's sky which is not an official constellation. Like constellations, they are composed of stars which, while they are in the same general direction, are not physically related, often being at significantly different distances from Earth....
.
History
Aquila was one of the 48
constellationIn modern astronomy, a constellation is an area of the celestial sphere, defined by exact boundaries.The term "constellation" can also be used loosely to refer to just the more prominent visible stars that seem to form a pattern in that area.-Definitions:...
s described by the 2nd century astronomer
PtolemyClaudius Ptolemaeus , known in English as Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Greek ancestry. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer and a poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under the Roman Empire, and is believed to have been born in the town of...
. It is also mentioned by
EudoxusEudoxus of Cnidus was a Greek astronomer, mathematician, scholar and student of Plato. Since all his own works are lost, our knowledge of him is obtained from secondary sources, such as Aratus's poem on astronomy...
in the
4th century BCThe 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 300 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:This century marked the height of Classical Greek civilization in all of its aspects...
and
AratusAratus was a Greek didactic poet, known for his technical poetry.- Biography :He was born in Soli in Cilicia and was a contemporary of Callimachus and Theocritus. He is known to have studied with Menecrates in Ephesus and Philitas in Cos...
in the
3rd century BCThe 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC. It is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period.-Overview:...
. It is now one of the 88 constellations defined by the
International Astronomical UnionThe International Astronomical Union is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
.
The constellation was also known as
Vultur volans (the flying vulture) to the
RomansAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, not to be confused with
Vultur cadens which was the Romans' name for what is now known as
LyraLyra is a constellation. Its name derived from the lyre, a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in classical antiquity and later. Lyra was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the...
.
Ptolemy catalogued nineteen stars jointly in this constellation and in the now obsolete constellation of
AntinousAntinous is an obsolete constellation no longer in use by astronomers, having been merged into Aquila, which it bordered to the North.The constellation was created by the emperor Hadrian in 132. According to legend, Hadrian was told by an oracle that only death of his most beloved person would save...
, which was named in the reign of the emperor
HadrianPublius Aelius Hadrianus was emperor of Rome from AD 117 to 138, as well as a Stoic and Epicurean philosopher...
(AD 117–138), but sometimes erroneously attributed to
Tycho BraheTycho Brahe, born Tyge Ottesen Brahe , was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
, who catalogued twelve stars in Aquila and seven in Antinous.
HeveliusJohannes Hevelius , also called Johannes Hewel, Johann Hewelke, Johannes Höwelcke in German, and Jan Heweliusz in Polish , was a Protestant councillor and mayor in Gdańsk , Poland...
determined twenty-three stars in the first, and nineteen in the second.
Named Stars
Bayer designationA Bayer designation is a stellar designation in which a specific star is identified by a Greek letter, followed by the genitive form of its parent constellation's Latin name...
|
Name |
Origin |
Meaning |
| α |
Altair |
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
|
the bird |
| β |
Alshain Beta Aquilae is a star in the constellation Aquila. It has the traditional name Alshain from the Perso-Arabic term الشاهين aš-šāhīn "the falcon", perhaps by folk etymology from the Persian šāhīn tarāzū , the Persian name for the asterism α, β and γ Aquilae.Beta Aquilae has...
|
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
|
the (peregrine) falcon |
| γ |
Tarazed Gamma Aquilae is a star in the constellation Aquila. It has the traditional name Tarazed , which appears to derive from Persian شاهين ترازو šāhin tarāzu "the beam of the scale", referring to an asterism of the Scale, α, β and γ Aquillae...
|
PersianPersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is widely spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and to some extent in Iraq and Bahrain, and has a status of official language in the first three countries under different names...
|
the beam of the scale |
| ε |
Deneb el OkabEpsilon Aquilae or is a triple star system in the constellation Aquila. It has the traditional names Deneb el Okab, from an Arabic term ذنب العقاب ðanab al- cuqāb meaning "the tail of the eagle", and the Mandarin names Woo and Yuë, derived from 吳 wú, an old state near Jiangsu...
|
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
|
the tail of the falcon |
| ζ |
Deneb el Okab Zeta Aquilae is a triple star system in the constellation Aquila. It has the traditional names Deneb el Okab, from an Arabic term ذنب العقاب ðanab al-cuqāb meaning "the tail of the falcon", and the Mandarin names Woo and Yuë, derived from 吳 wú, an old state near Jiangsu province, and...
|
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
|
the tail of the falcon |
| η |
Bezek Eta Aquilae is a star in the constellation Aquila. It was also part of the former constellation Antinous. In addition, this star carries the seldom used Hebrew name Bezek, from בֶזֶק bazaq "lightning"....
|
Hebrew Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Culturally, it is considered a Jewish language. Hebrew in its modern form is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel while Classical Hebrew has been used for prayer or study in Jewish communities around the world for over...
|
lightning |
| θ |
Tseen FooTheta Aquilae is a binary star in the constellation Aquila. It is approximately 287 light years from Earth. It has the traditional name Tseen Foo, which is derived from the Mandarin 天桴 tiānfú meaning "the heavenly raft," it may also mean drumsticks, with Altair, Beta Aquilae and Gamma Aquilae...
|
MandarinStandard Mandarin, or Standard Chinese, known by various names to native speakers, is the official modern Chinese spoken language used in mainland China and Taiwan, and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
|
the heavenly raft(er) |
| ι |
Al ThalimainIota Aquilae is a binary star in the constellation Aquila. It has the traditional name Al Thalimain, which it shares with λ Aquilae. The name is derived from the Arabic term الثالمين ath-thalīmain meaning "The Two Ostriches".Iota Aquilae is a blue-white B-type star with an apparent magnitude of...
|
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
|
the two ostriches |
| λ |
Al ThalimainLambda Aquilae is a star in the constellation Aquila. It has the traditional name Al Thalimain, which it shares with ι Aquilae. The name is derived from the Arabic الثالمين al-thalīmain "the two ostriches"...
|
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
|
the two ostriches |
Stars
- See also: List of stars in Aquila
Aquila, which lies in the
Milky WayThe Milky Way, or simply the Galaxy, is the galaxy in which the Solar System is located. It is a barred spiral galaxy that is part of the Local Group of galaxies...
, contains many rich starfields.
- α Aql (Altair
Altair is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and the twelfth brightest star in the night sky...
): this multiple star system (3 components) has 0.77m and is of spectral type A7 V. It has a parallaxParallax is an apparent displacement or difference of orientation of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines...
of 0.23", and consequently is about eight times as bright as the Sun.
- β Aql
Beta Aquilae is a star in the constellation Aquila. It has the traditional name Alshain from the Perso-Arabic term الشاهين aš-šāhīn "the falcon", perhaps by folk etymology from the Persian šāhīn tarāzū , the Persian name for the asterism α, β and γ Aquilae.Beta Aquilae has...
(Alshain): its spectral type is G8 IV and it shines with an apparent brightness of 3.71m. Like Altair, it too is a multiple star system with three components.
- γ Aql
Gamma Aquilae is a star in the constellation Aquila. It has the traditional name Tarazed , which appears to derive from Persian شاهين ترازو šāhin tarāzu "the beam of the scale", referring to an asterism of the Scale, α, β and γ Aquillae...
(Tarazed): spectral type K3 II; 2.72m
- η Aql
Eta Aquilae is a star in the constellation Aquila. It was also part of the former constellation Antinous. In addition, this star carries the seldom used Hebrew name Bezek, from בֶזֶק bazaq "lightning"....
: This short-period variable starA star is classified as variable if its apparent brightness as seen from Earth changes over time, whether the changes are due to variations in the star's actual luminosity, or to variations in the amount of the star's light that is blocked from reaching Earth...
is one of the brightest classical CepheidsA Cepheid is a member of a class of pulsating variable stars. The relationship between a Cepheid variable's luminosity and pulsation period is quite precise, securing Cepheids as viable standard candles and the foundation of the Extragalactic Distance Scale.Typical classical Cepheids pulsate with...
; its brightness varies between 3.48 magThe apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, normalized to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
and 4.39 mag every 7.177 days.
- 15 Aql
15 Aquilae is a double star in the constellation Aquila. Its apparent magnitude is 5.40. It's composed of a magnitude 5 yellow star and a magnitude 7 star, already resolvable by a small telescope.-Components:-References:...
: This double starIn observational astronomy, a double star is a pair of stars that appear close to each other in the sky as seen from Earth when viewed through an optical telescope...
is a yellow K starIn astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based on its spectral characteristics. The spectral class of a star, is a designation of a class to a star describing the ionization of its chromosphere, what atomic excitations are most prominent in the light, giving an objective...
of 5.4 mag accompanied by a 7th mag star; it can easily be observed with small telescopes.
- ρ Aql
Rho Aquilae is a star in the constellation Delphinus - it moved across the border from Aquila into Delphinus in 1992 It has the traditional name Tso Ke, from the Mandarin 左旗 zuǒqí meaning "the left flag"....
moved across the border into neighboring DelphinusDelphinus is a constellation in the northern sky, close to the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for dolphin. It is one of the smaller constellation, ranked 69th in size out of 88...
in 1992
Novae
Two major
novaA nova is a cataclysmic nuclear explosion caused by the accretion of hydrogen onto the surface of a white dwarf star. Novae are not to be confused with supernovae or Luminous Red Novae.-Occurrence rate, and astrophysical significance:...
e have been observed in Aquila; the first one was in 389 BC and was recorded to be as bright as Venus, the other (
Nova Aquilae 1918V603 Aquilae was a bright nova occurring in Aquila in 1918.It reached a magnitude of −1.4, and was the brightest nova of modern times.-References:* -External links:* * *...
) briefly shone brighter than Altair, the brightest star in Aquila.
Deep-sky objects
Three interesting
planetary nebulaA planetary nebula is an emission nebula consisting of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas and plasma ejected during the asymptotic giant branch phase of certain types of stars late in their life...
e lie in Aquila:
- NGC 6804 shows a small but bright ring
- NGC 6781
NGC 6781 is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Aquila....
which bears some resemblance with the Owl NebulaThe Owl Nebula is a planetary nebula in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781....
in Ursa MajorUrsa Major is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. Its name means the Great Bear in Latin. It is dominated by the widely recognized asterism known as the Big Dipper or Plough, which is a useful pointer toward north, and which has mythological significance...
.
- NGC 6751
NGC 6751 is a planetary nebula in the constellation Aquila. The nebula is estimated to be around 0.8 light-years in diameter. The star at the centre of the nebula has a surface temperature of approximately 140,000 K. It has been calculated to be roughly 6,500 light-years away from Earth...
: also known as the Glowing Eye, a planetary nebula
More deep-sky objects:
- NGC 6709
NGC 6709 is an open cluster in the constellation Aquila.-References:* *...
: an open clusterAn open cluster is a group of up to a few thousand stars that were formed from the same giant molecular cloud, and are still loosely gravitationally bound to each other. In contrast, globular clusters are very tightly bound by gravity. Open clusters have been found only in spiral and irregular...
of 6.7m located five degrees southwest of Zeta Aquilae
- NGC 6755
NGC 6755 is an open cluster in the constellation Aquila.-References:* * *...
: an open clusterAn open cluster is a group of up to a few thousand stars that were formed from the same giant molecular cloud, and are still loosely gravitationally bound to each other. In contrast, globular clusters are very tightly bound by gravity. Open clusters have been found only in spiral and irregular...
of 7.5m; it is made up of about a dozen stars with magnitudes 12 thru 13
- NGC 6760
NGC 6760 is a globular cluster in the constellation Aquila.-External links:* *...
: a globular clusterA globular cluster is a spherical collection of stars that orbits a galactic core as a satellite. Globular clusters are very tightly bound by gravity, which gives them their spherical shapes and relatively high stellar densities toward their centers. The name of this category of star cluster is...
of 9.1m
- NGC 6749: an open cluster
An open cluster is a group of up to a few thousand stars that were formed from the same giant molecular cloud, and are still loosely gravitationally bound to each other. In contrast, globular clusters are very tightly bound by gravity. Open clusters have been found only in spiral and irregular...
- NGC 6778: planetary nebula
A planetary nebula is an emission nebula consisting of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas and plasma ejected during the asymptotic giant branch phase of certain types of stars late in their life...
- NGC 6741: planetary nebula
A planetary nebula is an emission nebula consisting of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas and plasma ejected during the asymptotic giant branch phase of certain types of stars late in their life...
- NGC 6772: planetary nebula
A planetary nebula is an emission nebula consisting of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas and plasma ejected during the asymptotic giant branch phase of certain types of stars late in their life...
Other
NASA's
Pioneer 11Pioneer 11 was the second mission of the Pioneer program to investigate Jupiter and the outer solar system and the first to explore Saturn and its main rings. Pioneer 11 used Jupiter's mass in a gravity assist to alter its trajectory toward Saturn...
mission, which flew by
JupiterJupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass slightly less than one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all of the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas...
and
SaturnSaturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn, along with Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, is classified as a gas giant...
in the 1970s will pass near one of the stars in the constellation of Aquila in about four million years.
Mythology
The constellation resembles a wide winged, soaring, short necked, bird, which the ancients identified as an eagle.
http://borghetto.astrofili.org/costellazioni/aquila.JPG.
In classical
Greek mythologyGreek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Aquila was identified as the eagle which carried the thunderbolts of
ZeusIn Greek mythology, Zeus is the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky and thunder. His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull, and oak. In addition to his Indo-European inheritance, the classical "cloud-gatherer" also derives certain iconographic traits from the...
and was sent by him to carry the shepherd boy
GanymedeIn Greek mythology, Ganymede, or Ganymedes is a divine hero whose homeland was Troy. He was a Trojan prince, son of the eponymous Tros of Dardania, and of Callirrhoe, and brother of Ilus and Assaracus...
who he desired, to Mount Olympus; the constellation of
AquariusAquarius is a constellation of the zodiac, situated between Capricornus and Pisces. Its name is Latin for "water-bearer" or "cup-bearer", and its symbol is , a representation of water....
is sometimes identified with Ganymede.
Aquila, together with other constellations in the
ZodiacIn astronomy, the zodiac is the ring of constellations that lines the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the Sun across the sky over the course of the year. The Moon and planets also lie within the ecliptic, and so are also within the constellations of the zodiac. In astrology, the zodiac...
sign of
SagittariusSagittarius is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for the archer, and its symbol is , a stylized arrow. Sagittarius is commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow...
(specifically,
LyraLyra is a constellation. Its name derived from the lyre, a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in classical antiquity and later. Lyra was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the...
and
CygnusCygnus is a northern constellation. Its name is the Latinized Hellenic word for swan. One of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross...
), may be a significant part of the origin of the myth of the
Stymphalian birdsIn Greek mythology, the Stymphalian birds were man-eating birds with wings of bronze and sharp metallic feathers they could launch at their victims, and were pets of Ares, the god of war. Furthermore, their dung was highly toxic...
, one of The Twelve Labours of Herakles. The constellation could also have originated from the eagle Ethon, the tormentor of
PrometheusIn Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of human-kind known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
, and offspring of the monsters
TyphonTyphon , also Typheus/Typhoeus , Typhaon or Typhos is the final son of Gaia, fathered by Tartarus, and is the most deadly monster of Greek mythology. Typhon attempts to destroy Zeus at the will of Gaia, because Zeus had imprisoned the Titans...
and
EchidnaIn the most ancient layers of Greek mythology, Echidna was called the "Mother of All Monsters"...
.
In the Chinese love story of
Qi XiQixi Festival , also known as Magpie Festival, falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar; thus its name. It also inspired Tanabata in Japan, Chilseok in Korea, and That Tich in Vietnam...
, Niu Lang (
AltairAltair is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila and the twelfth brightest star in the night sky...
) and his two children (β and γ Aquilae) are separated forever from their wife and mother Zhi Nu (
VegaVega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, the fifth brightest star in the night sky and the second brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus...
) who is on the far side of the river, the
Milky WayThe Milky Way, or simply the Galaxy, is the galaxy in which the Solar System is located. It is a barred spiral galaxy that is part of the Local Group of galaxies...
.
In
HinduismHinduism is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as ', a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law", by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as...
, the constellation Aquila is identified with the half eagle, half human deity,
GarudaThe Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology....
.
External links