Libra Constellation | Constellations In The Southern Hemisphere

LIBRA CONSTELLATION – In this topic, we are going to know and learn about the southern constellation Libra , the Weighing scales.

It is a constellation which lies in the southern sky, It is also one of the zodiac constellations, first catalogued by Ptolemy in the 2nd century CE.

Libra means “the weighing scales” in Latin and is usually depicted as the scales held by the Greek goddess of justice Dike or Astraea.

Ancient Greeks knew a portion of the sky occupied by Libra as Chelae, or “claws.”

According to the Romans, the Moon was located in Libra when Rome was founded. They also considered it to be a favored one, where it is associated with balanced seasons and equal length of night and day.

The Babylonians called Libra ZIB.BA.AN.NA, which means “the balance of heaven,”

It is home to the Methuselah Star, one of the oldest stars known, as well as the barred spiral galaxies NGC 5885 and NGC 5792, the unbarred lenticular galaxy NGS 5890, among others.

It is the 29th largest constellation and occupies an area of about 538 square degrees. It lies in SQ3, the third quadrant of the southern hemisphere.

Libra belongs to the Zodiac family, along with Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius and Pisces.

Stars

Among the stars include: