NGC 6778 (also catalogued as NGC 6785) is a planetary nebula with a visual magnitude of 12.3, located at an approximate distance of 3,200 light years from Earth. Its name comes from Latin, and it translates to “eagle” – representing the bird that carried Zeus / Jupiter’s thunderbolts in Greek-Roman mythology. Greek mythology and the Constellation Auriga The name of the constellation Aquila means eagle, and it is most common to suggest that this is the representation of the eagle of Zeus, the bird who abducted Ganymede and also carried the weapons of the god; hence it’s near location to Aquarius. In Greek mythology, Aquila was an eagle of Zeus who carried his thunderbolts. This structure lies in the NQ2, NQ3, and NQ4 galactic quadrants of the sky, in the northern hemisphere. In yet another myth, Aquila represents Aphrodite disguised as an eagle, pretending to pursue Zeus in the form of a swan, so that Zeus’ love interest, the goddess Nemesis, would give him shelter. They are the June Aquilids, and the Epsilon Aquilids. The constellation of Aquarius is sometimes identified with Ganymede. The brightest star in Aquila is Altair, which is one vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism. NGC 6749 is another globular cluster in Aquila, discovered by John Herschel on July 15, 1827. It is located in the fourth quadrant of the southern hemisphere (SQ4) and can be seen at latitudes between +65° and -90°. The constellation had been previously mentioned by Exodus in the 4th century BC, and Aratus in the 3rd. The Glowing Eye Nebula is located at around 6,500 light-years away, having an apparent magnitude of 11.9. Its brightest star, Altair, is one vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism. Other stars with confirmed exoplanets around them are COROT-10 and COROT-8. The Koori aboriginal people of Australia knew Altair as Bunjil  – a wedge-tailed eagle who had the other 2 brightest stars in Aquila as his wives. In Hawaii, Altair was called Humu – “to sew, to bind together parts of a fishhook”. The Phantom Streak Nebula, designated as NGC 6741, is a planetary nebula located at around 7,000 light-years away from us. Iota Aquilae has an apparent magnitude of 4.36. The cluster has an apparent magnitude of 12.4. Okab is an exceptionally fast-spinning star, having a rotational velocity of around 317 km / 196.9 mi per second. The constellation represents the eagle of the god Jupiter in Roman mythology. Aquila is located in the fourth quadrant (NQ4) in the northern sky, near the celestial equator, and it can be viewed at latitudes between +90o and -70o. Its brightness varies over a period of 400 days. AQUILA The Eagle Aquila - Celestial Atlas by Alexander Jamieson - 1822. Okab, designated as Zeta Aquilae, is a spectroscopic binary star, having an apparent magnitude of 2.9, being the third brightest star in Aquila. The constellation of Aquila is best seen in the northern summer, as it is located along the Milky Way. One of these errands was to bring back the beautiful Prince of Troy, Ganymede, to serve as Zeus’s cupbearer. 57 Aquilae is a double star located at around 480 light-years away from us. It has also found and mentioned in texts and stories in the ancient literature. The Myth Behind the Constellation Aquila In Greek mythology, Aquila was the Aetos Dios, the “Eagle of Zeus”. Some of this may change … The myth about Aquila It is said that the constellation represents the eagle that carried the thunderbolt of Zeus to ancient Greece, thus attributing power and aura to the constellation. The star at the center of the nebula has a surface temperature of around 140,000 K, or 24.2 times hotter than our Sun. The nebula was discovered by William Herschel on July 30, 1788. One time the eagle was sent to carry Ganymede to Olympus to be the cupbearer of the Gods. The proper names of stars that have been officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) are Alshain, Altair, Chechia, Libertas, Okab, Petra, Phoenicia, and Tarazed. 15 Aquilae’s mass is unknown, however, it has around 1,400% of our Sun’s radius. Iota Aquilae is a blue-white B-type star approximately 307 light years distant. Once victorious, Zeus kept the … Tarazed is the second brightest star in Aquila. The constellation’s name in Greek was Ἀετός, i.e. Many dispute the existence of this structure since it contradicts many established physical theories, however, it remains to be seen soon if its existence will finally be proven or disproven. Altair completes one spin around its axis in around 8.9 hours ( our Sun, for comparison, does this in 25 days), having an extreme rotational velocity of around 286 km / 177.7 mi per second. It was first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. It has an apparent magnitude of 12.0 and occupies an area about 1.1 by 0.8 arc minutes in size. It has an apparent magnitude of 11, being 0.1 arc minutes in diameter, and fairly bright. Aquila is one of the original constellations that straddles the celestial equator. He was also sent to retrieve the Trojan shepherd boy – … She disguised herself as … It lies five degrees southwest of the star Zeta Aquilae. Another myth has the eagle guarding the arrow of Eros – it hit Zeus, making him love-struck. John Herschel catalogued it as GC 4473 and John Louis Emil Dreyer added it to the New General Catalogue as NGC 6760. Currently, around 9 stars have been discovered to host planets around them. There are several explanations for the presence of this eagle in the sky. The name Al Thalimain, which the star shares with Lambda Aquilae, means “the two ostriches” in Arabic. NGC 6709 is a loose open cluster that contains around 40 stars, which range in magnitude from 9 to 11. Myths and Data about the constellation Aquila. The constellation of Aquila is the 22nd largest constellation in the sky. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Sidney_Hall_-_Urania%27s_Mirror_-_Delphinus%2C_Sagitta%2C_Aquila%2C_and_Antinous.jpg/540px-Sidney_Hall_-_Urania%27s_Mirror_-_Delphinus%2C_Sagitta%2C_Aquila%2C_and_Antinous.jpg, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Aquila_IAU.svg/509px-Aquila_IAU.svg.png, https://in-the-sky.org/images/constellations/con_AQL_000.png, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Altair%2C_Tarazed_and_Alshain.jpg/640px-Altair%2C_Tarazed_and_Alshain.jpg, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Altair-Sun_comparison.png/895px-Altair-Sun_comparison.png, https://earthsky.org/upl/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2018-06-04-at-1.55.18-PM-e1528134961914.png, https://www.star-facts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Altair-Tarazed-and-Alshain.jpg?189db0&189db0, https://www.cloudynights.com/uploads/monthly_11_2019/post-57336-0-37178900-1573462506.jpg, https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/star-images/72/7235_800.jpg, https://www.constellation-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Altair-Alpha-Aquilae-300×300.jpg, https://theskylive.com/sky/stars/star-images/72/7225_800.jpg, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/W_Aquilae_binary.jpg, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xzS9jWYkggcxXdwDzoTVD3.jpg, https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/list-of-stars/images/7/7d/F-0.PNG/revision/latest?cb=20180427073013, https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DK6fQIdXkAAQBnf.jpg, https://www.sciencesource.com/Doc/TR7/a/9/c/9/SS2388571.jpg?d63642071103, https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/pOt_FLOq1WVNxxa5tMT05noyNu2mOWUFHL79rK0M9fXFyyQKWbLpyu1oK234ZANdLCeK2Uur0D1JzPXNmrpLsKfQD85Rft3-, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f8/Most_distant_Gamma-ray_burst.jpg/1024px-Most_distant_Gamma-ray_burst.jpg, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/NGC-6781.jpg/480px-NGC-6781.jpg, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/NGC6751.jpg, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/NGC_6778_-_VLT%28FORS2%29_-_ROIIIBOIII3000.png/640px-NGC_6778_-_VLT%28FORS2%29_-_ROIIIBOIII3000.png, https://www.constellation-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Phantom-Streak-Nebula-NGC-6741.jpg, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/ENebulaHunterWilson.jpg, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/NGC_6709_large.png, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/NGC_6755.png, https://www.greggsastronomy.com/IMAGES/ngc6760_LRGBcrop.jpg, https://www.amsmeteors.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/featured-3.jpg. Aquila is a constellation situated on the celestial equator, being the 22nd largest constellation in the sky. HD 179079, is a subgiant star with only one planet orbiting it, while HD 183263 has two planets, discovered in 2009. Zeta Aquilae is another triple star system, approximately 83.2 light years distant, with a white A-type main sequence dwarf for a primary. It is 19.5 times brighter than our Sun, and hotter, having surface temperatures of around 8,804 K. V Aquilae is a cool carbon star and a semiregular variable star, located at around 1,300 light-years away from us. The stars in the cluster are loosely arranged into a diamond-like shape. The brightest stars in it are of 12th and 13th magnitude. NGC 6778 was discovered by John Herschel on May 21, 1825 and independently by Albert Marth on June 25, 1863, which led to the nebula’s double listing in the New General Catalogue. Alshain is the seventh brightest star in Aquila, having an apparent magnitude of 3.87. V Aquilae is 6,500 times brighter than our Sun, however, it is more than two times cooler, having temperatures of around 2,800 K. Its spectrum is dominated by strong absorption lines of C2 and CN molecules. The five brightest stars in the constellation of Aquila are Altair, Alshain, Tarazed, Okab, and Eta Aquilae. Mythology of the Aquila Constellation. The primary star, Alshain, is a subgiant star that has around 126% of our Sun’s mass, and 328% of its radius. Aquila is identified with the Greek myth of the battle between the Olympian gods and the Titans, in which the eagle carried Zeus' thunderbolts that helped defeat the Titans. It moved across the border into the neighboring constellation of Delphinus in 1992. The au­thor also draws a com­par­i­son to the clas­si­cal sto­ries of An­ti­nousand Ganymede. According to classic Greek mythology, Aquila was the eagle that carried the thunderbolts of Zeus. In Greek mythology, Aquila is identified as the eagle that carried Zeus’ thunderbolts and was once dispatched by the god to carry Ganymede, the young Trojan boy Zeus desired, to Olympus to be the cup bearer of the gods. In Hinduism, the constellation of Aquila is associated with the half-eagle half-human deity Garuda. NGC 6755 contains many stars, the brightest of which are of magnitude 12th and 13th. It is among the closest stars to us, being at only 16.7 light-years away. This star is a Cephei variable, with its apparent magnitude ranging from 5.18 to 5.51 over a period of 4.47 days. Its name is Latin for 'eagle' and it represents the bird that carried Zeus/Jupiter's thunderbolts in Greco-Roman mythology. In another myth, Aquila represents the goddess Aphrodite. Ganymede is represented by the neighbouring constellation Aquarius. Xi Aquilae, a red clump giant (G9 III) also known by the name Libertas, has a confirmed exoplanet, named Fortitudo, that was discovered in 2008. R Aquilae is a Mira variable type of star, having an apparent magnitude that ranges in brightness from 5.3, down to 12.0, within a period of 269.84 days. It is orbiting through the galaxy with an eccentricity of 0.06, which carries it close to the Galactic Core. NGC 6781 has an apparent magnitude of 11.4, an apparent diameter of 1.8′ and a linear diameter of about 2 light years. Both stars are massive, B-type main-sequence stars with high rotational velocities. In ancient Egypt, Aquila was possibly viewed as the falcon of Horus. Rho Aquilae is located at around 150 light-years away from us. The probe left the solar system in 1990 and, because its power was too weak, it has not transmitted any data since 1995. Aquila spreads out for over 652 square degrees. Lying only 16.8 light-years away, Altair is one of the closest stars to Earth that is visible to the naked eye. Aquila is best seen in the northern summer, as it is located along the Milky Way. In Greek mythology, Aquila is identified as the eagle that carried Zeus’ thunderbolts and was once dispatched by the god to carry Ganymede, the young Trojan boy Zeus desired, to Olympus to be the cup bearer of the gods. Ac­cord­ing to Gavin White, the Baby­lon­ian Eagle car­ried the con­stel­la­tion called the Dead Man in its talons. The star is approximately 289 light years distant and easy to observe in small telescopes. Eta Aquilae is one of the easiest Cepheids to distinguish by the naked eye. Eta Aquilae is 2,630 times brighter than our Sun. Rho Aquilae is a main-sequence star, having an apparent magnitude of 4.94. It is a known source of X-rays. It has the size of around 10 billion light-years ( the observable universe is just 93 billion light-years in diameter). The constellation’s name means “the eagle” in Latin. It can be seen 1.46 arc minutes from NGC 6778. One of them spins at 190 km / 118 mi per second,  while the other at 160 km / 99.4 mi per second. It is very faint, having only 2.5% of our Sun’s luminosity, while Ashain is 6 times brighter than our Sun. The central star is a binary system with a short orbital period. Deneb el Okab – ε Aquilae (Epsilon Aquilae). NGC 6804 is another planetary nebula in Aquila. The story behind the name: In the ancient Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures, the constellation Aquila is seen as the shape of a flying bird. It is located at around 125 light-years away. Other stars with confirmed planets include COROT-10 (K1V) and COROT-8 (K1V). It has an apparent magnitude of 9.0 and an apparent size of 9.6’. HD 179079, a G-type subgiant (G5IV), has an orbiting planet that was discovered in 2009. Aquila Mythology Aquila was the eagle that carried Zeus' thunderbolts. The top 10 brightest stars in Aquila are: Altair, designated as Alpha Aquilae, is the brightest star in the constellation, being 10.6 times brighter than our Sun. He was sent by Zeus to carry the shepherd boy Ganymede to Mount Olympus. The name Aquila means “Eagle” in Latin. It has the same mass as our Sun, however, it is an aging red giant star that has around 25,900 % of our Sun’s radius, being 3,470 times brighter. The Glowing Eye Nebula, designated as NGC 6751, and also known as the Dandelion Puffball Nebula, is a planetary nebula estimated to be 0.8 light-years in diameter. R Aquilae is located at around 780 light-years away from us. Home. Ganymede is represented in the skies by both the constellation of Aquarius and the Jovian moon, Ganymede. NGC 6781 is a planetary nebula that shows some resemblance to the Owl Nebula, located in the constellation of Ursa Major. Aquila has nine stars with known planets. Altair is the southern star in the triangle. 15 Aquilae, designated as h Aquilae, is a giant star located at around 289 light-years away from us, having an apparent magnitude of 5.41. The nebula lies only 0.04 arc minutes away from the open cluster IC 1298 and 0.79 arc minutes from the cluster NGC 6775. The nebula itself formed when a star collapsed and threw off its outer layer of gas thousands of years ago. She then took on the form of a swan to chase Zeus to the shelter of his love interest, the godde… Altair is located at around 16.7 light-years away from us, being one of the three vertices of the Summer Triangle asterism. In mythology, Aquila was owned by the Roman god Jupiterand did many tasks for him. Its name is derived from the Persian phrase šāhin tarāzu, which means “the beam of the scale.” It is a class K (spectral class K3) bright giant with an apparent magnitude of 2.72, approximately 461 light years distant. The name Alshain is derived from the Perso-Arabic aš-šāhīn, which means “the (peregrine) falcon.” The star has a 12th magnitude visual companion, Beta Aquilae B, a class M red dwarf, lying 13 arc seconds away. Aquila represents an eagle, the thunderbird of the Greeks. In a book by Gavin White, the Babylonian Eagle carried the constellation called the Dead Man (LU.USH) in its talons. Altair is also the nearest star in Aquila, at a distance of only 16.77 light years from Earth. The name Bezek comes from the Hebrew word bazak, which means “lightning.”. The magnitude changes very gradually throughout this time period, and is easily noticed with binoculars (using beta Aquilae, 3.7, as a reference). Altair is a white main-sequence dwarf star that has a very high rotational velocity, around 286 km / 177.7 mi per second. It has an apparent magnitude of 3.71. It is a Cepheid variable star, with its apparent magnitude varying between 3.5 and 4.4 with a period of 7.176641 days. It is less than an arc minute away from NGC 6804. In the Marquesas Islands, Aquila was known as Pao-toa – Fatigued Warrior. It can be seen only 1.72 arc minutes away from NGC 6760. An orange dwarf star, HD 192263, also has a planet, and another star, a yellow subgiant, HD 192699, also has one. The star also moves across the sky relatively quickly. It has an apparent magnitude of 11.4, and an apparent linear diameter of around 2 light-years. The myth about Aquila It is said that the constellation represents the eagle that carried the thunderbolt of Zeus to ancient Greece, thus attributing power and aura to the constellation. Lambda Aquilae, also known as Al Thalimain, is the fourth brightest star in Aquila, having an apparent magnitude of 3.43. Aquila’s representation as an eagle dates back to the Sumerians, who called Altair the eagle star. In April 2000, an image of the nebula was selected to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit. Altair, the constellation’s brightest star, forms a prominent asterism known as the Summer Triangle with the luminaries of Cygnus (Deneb) and Lyra (Vega). Eta Aquilae is a yellow-white supergiant, approximately 1200 light years from Earth. The pattern contains three prominent stars that can be seen to outline the wings of a bird, but are also the focus of quite different myths in … The cluster lies at a distance of 4632.46 light years from Earth and can be seen 4.5 degrees west of the star Delta Aquilae. In Greek mythology, Aquila represents an Eagle associated with the god Zeus. NGC 6751, also known as the Glowing Eye Nebula, is a planetary nebula about 0.8 light years in diameter, which is about 600 times the size of the solar system. Aquila, the pet eagle of Zeus, showed the gentler side of his nature when he carefullycarried up Ganymede to Mount Olympus to be cup-bearer to his master. Aquila is a constellation on the celestial equator. Tseen Foo is a clue-white B-type giant with an apparent magnitude of 3.24. It is also often compared to the famous Ring Nebula (Messier 57), located in Lyra constellation. 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