The constellation of Libra, the Scales // E. Slawik/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani
Click below for an annotated image as well as some facts about Libra and its stars!
Libra, which is Latin for "weighing scales," has been seen as scales since the Babylonians. They called it MUL Zibanu meaning "the scales" and associated it with the Sun god Shamash, the patron of truth and justice.
However, in ancient Greece, it was also seen as an extension of the nearby Scorpius, Libra making up its claws. In fact, several of its stars' names reference this history. It only became a constellation of its own right in ancient Rome, where it represented the scales held by Astraea, the goddess of justice.
The four named stars are, in order of brightness:
Zubeneschamali (β Librae) is a blue-white giant star about 185 light years away. Its name is of Arabic origin, coming from the phrase al-zubānā al-šamāliyy meaning "the northern claw."
Zubenelgenubi (α Librae) is a quadruple star system about 75 light years away. It is made up of two binary systems, totaling three blue-white giant stars and a red dwarf star. The name comes from the Arabic phrase al-zubānā al-janūbiyy meaning "the southern claw."
Brachium (σ Librae) is a solitary red giant star about 261 light years away. The name comes from the Latin word brachium meaning "arm," perhaps referring to its placement along Scorpius' arm to its claws.
Zubenelhakrabi (γ Librae) is a potential binary star system about 163 light years away, consisting of at least a yellow giant star. The name comes from the Arabic phrase Zubān al-ʿAqrab meaning "the claws of the scorpion."
