In Greek mythology Aquarius was Ganymede, "cup-bearer to the gods". Ganymede's story is told in "Aquila". His position was essentially to pour wine for all the gods on Olympus, a function far removed from the initial importance of the Water Bearer, as it first rose in Babylonia.
In fact, the constellation seems to have represented water in a number of ancient cultures. In Egypt, for instance, the constellation was thought to cause the Nile to give forth its annual floods. The waters of the Nile, far to the south, would start to rise in June as the rains from the Ethiopian highlands began to run off into the Blue Nile. The night sky, in June, would show Aquarius at its zenith: the bringer of water.
Even if alpha Aquarii is a supergiant, perhaps a hundred times the size of the Sun, since it's a thousand light years away it only shines with a 2.96 visual magnitude.
Alpha Aquarii ("Sadalmelik") and beta Aquarii ("Sadalsuud") are twin supergiants with nearly identical names. The names mean, respectively, "The Lucky One of the King" and "The Luckiest of the Lucky". Gamma Aquarii shares in the good fortune: "Sadachbia": "The Lucky Star of Hidden Things".
"Why is so much luck found in Aquarius", you may ask. When the sun entered Aquarius the new year was about to begin, Spring was on the horizon and the watery season would assure abundant crops. One can therefore appreciate the importance of the Water Bearer.
Incidentally, if the "Age of Aquarius" was celebrated in the 1960s, the real event is still some 600 years off: at that time Aquarius will contain the vernal equinox, marking the return of the Sun into the northern celestial hemisphere.
In fact, the constellation seems to have represented water in a number of ancient cultures. In Egypt, for instance, the constellation was thought to cause the Nile to give forth its annual floods. The waters of the Nile, far to the south, would start to rise in June as the rains from the Ethiopian highlands began to run off into the Blue Nile. The night sky, in June, would show Aquarius at its zenith: the bringer of water.
Even if alpha Aquarii is a supergiant, perhaps a hundred times the size of the Sun, since it's a thousand light years away it only shines with a 2.96 visual magnitude.
Alpha Aquarii ("Sadalmelik") and beta Aquarii ("Sadalsuud") are twin supergiants with nearly identical names. The names mean, respectively, "The Lucky One of the King" and "The Luckiest of the Lucky". Gamma Aquarii shares in the good fortune: "Sadachbia": "The Lucky Star of Hidden Things".
"Why is so much luck found in Aquarius", you may ask. When the sun entered Aquarius the new year was about to begin, Spring was on the horizon and the watery season would assure abundant crops. One can therefore appreciate the importance of the Water Bearer.
Incidentally, if the "Age of Aquarius" was celebrated in the 1960s, the real event is still some 600 years off: at that time Aquarius will contain the vernal equinox, marking the return of the Sun into the northern celestial hemisphere.
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