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  • Star Sign Dragon

    The Dragon is a constellation of the northern sky, which can be observed all year. Draco is only viewable in the Northern Hemisphere, so people living in the Southern Hemisphere will not be able to see this long constellation. Its stars are not very bright, with only three stars above magnitude 3.0. It was one of the 48 constellations that the famous astronomer Ptolemy listed in his book and becomes one of the 88 modern constellations that last till today.
     
    Shape and position:Star Sign Dragon
    The shape of the Dragon constellation is quite stretched out and therefore quite striking in the evening sky. It is especially easy to find, as it winds its way around the Big and Little Dippers. The easiest way to spot the Dragon constellation is to find its head. Its head consists of four stars lying north of the Hercules constellation. The Dragon constellation ends with Thuban, the pole star 4,000 years ago.
     
    Right ascension: 9h 20m to 20h 54m
    Declination: +47 to 86 degrees
     
    Brightest star: Gamma Draconis (Thuban)
     
    Mythology:
    In Greek mythology, the Dragon constellation represents the dragon that guarded the golden apple tree which represents eternal youth. Hercules defeated the dragon in one of his twelve labors and stole the apples from the tree. In Roman mythology, the Dragon constellation represents the dragon killed by the goddess Minerva and was tossed into the sky.
     
    Best time to observe: Year-round, with the best time in spring
     
    Neighbouring constellations: Ursa Minor, Ursa Major, Cepheus, Camelopardalis, Cygnus, Lyra, and Bootes

  • Star Sign Crab

    The Crab, also known under its Latin name “Cancer”, is a constellation found on the ecliptic plane. As of 2002, the Sun is in the constellation from 21st July to 10th August each year. As a zodiac sign, the Crab has special astrological significance and influences people's fate.
     
    Shape and position:Star Sign Crab
    The Crab takes a shape of two successive Ys connected at their bases. It is difficult to see with the naked eye, as it consists primarily of relatively faint stars. The easiest way to find it is to draw an imaginary line between the clearly visible Twins (Gemini – to the right of the Crab) and the Lion (Leo, to its left).
     
    Right ascension: 7h 55m to 9h 20m
    Declination: +7 to +33°
     
    Brightest star: Beta Cancri (Altarf)
     
    Mythology:
    An interesting legend is attached to the astrological sign of Cancer. It is said that Heracles, an illegitimate son of Zeus, had to fight a water snake. During the battle, Hera, the mother of gods, who despised Heracles, sent a wicked crab to kill him. The animal bit Heracles on his heel so hard that he became furious. He grabbed the crab and tossed it up so powerfully, that it flew up into the sky where it can still be seen today as the constellation the Crab.
     
    Astrological significance: People born under this sign are very sensitive and emotional. They are considered rather introvert and shy, but at the same time they are capable of being very sociable and empathic. They are cautious when it comes to financial matters. Their element is water.
     
    Best season for observation: Winter
     
    Neighbouring constellations: Lynx, Twins, Canis Minor, Sea Serpent, Lion

  • Star Sign Herdsman

    The Herdsman, a typical spring constellation, located far from the Milky Way, is a very memorable one. Some observers see the Herdsman as a paper dragon, others see the constellation an ice cream cone. Boötes in Latin means ox driver. The seven stars of the Big Dipper (directly "Top right" of Bootes) are considered in this translation as an ox.
     
    Shape and position:Star Sign Herdsman
    Thanks to its close proximity to the Great Bear, this constellation is very quick and easy to find in the sky. The Herdsman is circumpolar and therefore it can be seen all year round over the northern sky. Since the Herdsman is very rich in double stars, it can be spotted even with binoculars on a good night. Nearest constellations are Hercules and Virgo.
     
    Right ascension: 13h 35m to 15h 50m
    Declination: +7 to +55 degrees
     
    Brightest star: Arcturus (Alpha Böotis)
     
    Mythology:
    Legend has it that Callisto, one of the young women in the wake of the hunting goddess Artemis, was pregnant and then abandoned by Artemis. The wife of Zeus, Hera, turned Callisto into a bear and her son Arcas became an avid hunter. One day, while hunting, he met the bear and wanted to kill his own mother because, of course, he did not recognize her. Fortunately, Zeus intervened and prevented a disaster. Both were sent to the sky, the mother as the Great Bear, and the son as the Herdsman.
     
    Best season for observation: Spring
     
    Neighbouring constellations: Dragon, Great Bear, Berenice's Hair, Virgin, Libra, Serpent, Northern Crown, Hercules

  • Star Sign Twins

    Gemini, also known as “The Twins”, is a very famous constellation of great astrological significance. Its northeast section is crossed by the Milky Way and it is easily observed during the winter when many large star clusters appear in the sky. Since the Gemini lies on the ecliptic line, the sun, moon and planets pull their orbits across the constellation.
     
    Shape and position:The Twins
    The twins appear as two people standing side by side. The heads of the two men symbolize the famous Roman Dioscuri: Castor and Pollux. Pollux, the brighter star of the twins, is only 34 light years away from us here on Earth. He shines orange and is a part of the famous Winter Hexagon. Castor is a multiple star system consisting of three main and three secondary stars.
     
    Right ascension: 06h 00m to 08h 08m
    Declination: +10 to +35°
     
    Brightest star: Beta Geminorum (Pollux)
     
    Mythology:
    The names of the inseparable twins, originally derived from Greek mythology, are Castor and Polydeukes, which later became Castor and Pollux during Roman rule. Castor is the son of King Tyndareus of Sparta and Pollux the son of Zeus. Therefore one of them was mortal, while the other an immortal demigod. Together, the twins experienced a heroic adventure of the Argonauts which is considered to be the third great adventure in Greek literature after the Odyssey and the Iliad. However during an argument with friends, Castor was killed, whereupon Polydeuces asked his father Zeus to share the mortality with his brother. From now on, they spent their days in Hades, the underworld, once on Mount Olympus, the mountain of the Gods. In the name of their brotherly love, they were both placed in the sky.
     
    Astrological significance: People who are born under the zodiac sign Gemini are regarded as friendly and flexible. Extroverted and eloquent, they appear to some as superficial and capricious. Thanks to a fast perception, there´s no problem too taxing for a Gemini. The element of Gemini is the air.
     
    Best Season for observation: Winter
     
    Neighbouring constellations: Auriga, Bull, Orion, Canis Minor, Crab, Lynx

  • Star Sign Berenice's Hair

    Coma Berenices is rather unremarkable and goes next to the Lion and Bootes, its neighboring constellations. You can see this constellation rather as collection of faint stars, only two of which reach the size class 4.
     
    Shape and position:Star Sign Berenice's Hair
    The constellation Coma Berenices is on the spring sky between the Lion and Bootes. Many of the stars here originate from an open star cluster 260 light years away. In the direction of the Berenice is the so-called "galactic North pole" of the Milky Way.
     
    Right ascension: 11h 58m to 13h 36m
    Declination: +13 to +33 degrees
     
    Brightest star: Beta Comae Berenices
     
    Mythology:
    The Coma Berenices is not a mythological constellation, because it was late to be assigned as a separate constellation. The Berenice itself actually lived - and is thus not a mythological figure. Berenice should have at that time cut off her long, beautiful hair, so her prayer for her husband's safe return from the war might be answered. The following day however, the hair was gone from the temple in which it was kept. The gods were so happy about this hair, that, as an honour, they placed it on the sky.
     
    Best season for observation: Spring
     
    Neighbouring constellations: Lion, Herdsman, Great Bear, Hunting Dogs, Virgin

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