SAGITTARIUS

Archer Schütze Nyilas

Sagittarius is one of the zodiac constellations. It is located in the Southern celestial hemisphere, so it is best visible from the Sourthern Hemisphere, but it can be also seen from some parts of the Northern Hemisphere during the summer months. Its name means "archer" in Latin, and it is commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow. The center of our galaxy, the Milky Way lies in the western part of the constellation, therefore it is rich in deep-sky objects, such as emission, reflection and dust nebulae and star clusters.

The constellation appears in the mythologies of the ancient world as early as 4000 BC, on the dawn of the Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures. Findings from this time period include a Mesopotamian border stone depicting the constellation as a half human half horse figure with a bow. This portayal was also present in the Greek and Roman star lore, where Sagittarius represented a half human, half goat being, named Krotos, whose father was the goat-legged Pan, the god of the wild, shepherds and rustic music. The constellation is also one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer, Ptolemy.
Sagittarius also had its own name in other mythologies, like the Chinese (Azure Dragon), Middle-Eastern (River, Returning ostrich) or the Native American (Swimming Duck in the pawnee culture). It was less significant in the European culture, as it barely rises above the horizon in many, especially northern parts of Europe.