The constellation of Sagittarius, the Archer // E. Slawik/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Zamani
Click below for some info about the constellation, why it looks like a teapot, and all of the various named stars in Sagittarius!
Sagittarius, which is Latin for "archer," is one of the original 48 constellations set down by Greek astronomer Ptolemy. The brightest stars form an asterism known as "the Teapot." However, in older drawings, the teapot area is usually drawn as the bow and arrow.
In most mythologies, Sagittarius is seen as a centaur and archer. The Babylonians saw Sagittarius as the centaur, the god Nergal. However, Nergal has wings and two heads, one a panther head, the other a human head. In Greek mythology, Sagittarius is still a centaur in the true meaning of the word: half horse, half man. Some myths see him specifically as Chiron, the wisest of all the centaurs.
The named stars, in order of brightness are:
Kaus Australis (ε Sagittarii) is a binary star system about 143 light years away. The primary is a blue giant star. The name is a portmanteau of the Arabic qaws meaning "bow", and the Latin austrālis meaning "southern."
Nunki (σ Sagittarii) is a binary star system about 225 light years away, with the primary being a blue giant. The name is an Assyrian or Babylonian name, and was the star of the city Eridu.
Ascella (ζ Sagittarii) is a triple star system about 88 light years away. The primary star is a blue-white giant star. The name is a Late Latin word meaning "armpit."
Kaus Media (δ Sagittarii) is a solitary orange giant star about 348 light years away. The name, like Kaus Australis before it, is a portmanteau of the Arabic qaws meaning "bow", and the Latin media meaning "middle."
Kaus Borealis (λ Sagittarii) is a solitary orange giant star about 78 light years away. The name, like Kaus Media and Kaus Australis before it, is a portmanteau of the Arabic qaws meaning "bow" and the Latin boreālis meaning "northern."
Albaldah (π Sagittarii) is a triple star system about 520 light years away. The primary star is a yellow-white supergiant. The name comes from the Arabic bálda meaning "the town."
Alnasl (γ Sagittarii) is a solitary orange giant star about 106 light years away. The name comes from the Arabic Zujj al-Nashshaba meaning "arrowhead."
Polis (μ Sagittarii) is a quintuple star system about 5,100 light years away. This is a quintuple system of nothing but blue giant stars. The name comes from the Greek word polis meaning "city."
Arkab Prior (β¹ Sagittarii) is a binary star system about 310 light years away. The system consists of two blue giant stars. The name comes from a portmanteau of the Arabic 'urqub al-rami meaning "the archer's achilles tendon" and the Latin prior meaning "above."
Rukbat (α Sagittarii) is a solitary blue giant star about 182 light years away. The name comes from the Arabic rukbat al-rāmī meaning "the knee of the archer."
Arkab Posterior (β² Sagittarii) is a solitary yellow-white giant star about 134 light years away. Its name comes from a portmanteau of the Arabic 'urqub al-rami meaning "the archer's achilles tendon" and the Latin posterior meaning "below."
Terebellum (ω Sagittarii) is a binary star system about 76 light years away, with the primary being a yellow Sun-like star. This name comes from the Latin terebellum meaning "auger."
