#alpha sagittae

[quiltofstars]

The constellation of Sagitta, the Arrow // E. Slawik/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani

Click below for some information on this small constellation as well as an annotated image!

Sagitta, which is Latin for "arrow", is one of the original 48 constellations set down by Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. Don't confuse it with Sagittarius, the Archer!

This is the third-smallest constellation in the night sky. In Greek mythology, this arrow is supposedly the arrow Hercules used to kill the eagle that perpetually ate at Prometheus' liver.

There are only three officially named stars in Sagitta! In order of brightness, they are:

Sham (α Sagittae) is the third-brightest star in Sagitta, a solitary yellow supergiant star about 382 light years away. Its name comes from the Arabic word sahm meaning "arrow."

Uruk (HD 231701) is a yellow-white solitary star about 354 light years away. It has one confirmed exoplanet orbiting it, about the mass of Jupiter, named Babylonia. These names were given by the people of Iraq: Uruk was an ancient city in the Sumerian and Babylonian empires, and Babylonia refers to one of these empires.

Sansuna (HAT-P-34) is a yellow-white solitary star about 838 light years away. it has one confirmed exoplanet orbiting it, about 3 times the mass of Jupiter, named Ġgantija. Both names were chosen by the people of Malta: Sansuna is a mythological giant from Maltese folk tales that carried the stones for the temples on the island of Gozo, while Ġgantija is the name of the temple complex.