Capricornus
Capricornus /ˌkæprɪˈkɔːrnəs/ is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for "horned goat" or "goat horn" or "having horns like a goat's", and it is commonly represented in the form of a sea goat: a mythical creature that is half goat, half fish.
This article is about the astronomical constellation. For the astrological sign, see Capricorn (astrology). For "Capricornis", the genus of goat/antelope-like mammals, see Serow.Abbreviation
Cap
Capricorni
/ˌkæprɪˈkɔːrnəs/, genitive /ˌkæprɪˈkɔːrnaɪ/
the Sea-Goat
20h 06m 46.4871s to 21h 59m 04.8693s[1]
−8.4043999° to −27.6914144°[1]
414 sq. deg. (40th)
9, 13, 23
49
5
1
3
1
Capricornus is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Claudius Ptolemy. Its old astronomical symbol is .svg){kind=small}
(♑︎). Under its modern boundaries it is bordered by Aquila, Sagittarius, Microscopium, Piscis Austrinus, and Aquarius. The constellation is located in an area of sky called the Sea or the Water, consisting of many water-related constellations such as Aquarius, Pisces and Eridanus. It is the smallest constellation in the zodiac.
History[edit]
The constellation was first attested in depictions on a cylinder-seal from around the 21st century BCE,[6] it was explicitly recorded in the Babylonian star catalogues before 1000 BCE. In the Early Bronze Age the winter solstice occurred in the constellation, but due to the precession of the equinoxes, the December solstice now takes place in the constellation Sagittarius.[7] The Sun is now in the constellation Capricorn (as distinct from the astrological sign) from late January through mid-February.[3]
Although the solstice during the northern hemisphere's winter no longer takes place while the sun is in the constellation Capricornus, as it did until 130 BCE, the astrological sign called Capricorn is still used to denote the position of the solstice, and the latitude of the sun's most southerly position continues to be called the Tropic of Capricorn, a term which also applies to the line on the Earth at which the sun is directly overhead at local noon on the day of the December solstice.[3]
The planet Neptune was discovered by German astronomer Johann Galle, near Deneb Algedi (δ Capricorni) on 23 September 1846, as Capricornus can be seen best from Europe at 4:00AM in September (although, by modern constellation boundaries established in the early 20th century CE, Neptune lay within the confines of Aquarius at the time of its discovery).
Mythology[edit]
Despite its faintness, the constellation Capricornus has one of the oldest mythological associations, having been consistently represented as a hybrid of a goat and a fish since the Middle Bronze Age, when the Babylonians used MULSUḪUR.MAŠ "The Goat-Fish" as a symbol of their god Ea.[7][6]
In Greek mythology, the constellation is sometimes identified as Amalthea, the goat that suckled the infant Zeus after his mother, Rhea, saved him from being devoured by his father, Cronos. Amalthea's broken horn was transformed into the cornucopia or "horn of plenty".[8]
Capricornus is also sometimes identified as Pan, the god with a goat's horns and legs, who saved himself from the monster Typhon by giving himself a fish's tail and diving into a river.[3]
Equivalents[edit]
In Chinese astronomy, constellation Capricornus lies in The Black Tortoise of the North (北方玄武; Běi Fāng Xuán Wǔ).
The Nakh peoples called this constellation Roofing Towers (Chechen: Neģara Bjovnaš).
In the Society Islands, the figure of Capricornus was called Rua-o-Mere, "Cavern of parental yearnings".[11]
In Indian astronomy and Indian astrology, it is called Makara, the crocodile.