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Sky Chart and Artist Rendering of Auriga
Origin:
Auriga is a very old constellation with its origins traceable to the
Babylonians. Throughout history, this constellation has been
associated with the charioteer by the Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs,
and Chinese.
Information:
Auriga is a large Fall/Winter constellation located just north of Taurus, the Bull and east of Cassiopeia appearing as a slightly squashed
polygon. Since the Milky Way runs through Auriga, it is rich in
nebulae and many star clusters. The charioteer is nearly overhead
for northern observers at 9 pm during the last week of January.
Mythology:
Auriga has been identified since ancient times as the charioteer and was
originally portrayed complete with chariot. Capella, the bright
zero-magnitude star in Auriga, is the Charioteer's left shoulder and to
the ancient Greeks represented Almathea, the goat that suckled the newborn
Zeus. The constellation is often pictured with the charioteer
carrying a goat on his back. A triad of stars above Capella
represent the three kids. In Roman mythology, Auriga is the son of
the god Vulcan; in Greek mythology, Helios.
In Greek mythology, Hera (the wife of
Zeus), with Helios (the sun god), had a child who was born with deformed
feet (dragon's feet). Disgusted, she sent him to Earth, where he
became the famous lame smith, Hephaestus, who hammered out exquisite
ornamentation and armor for the gods. Because he was unable to walk
any great distances, he invented the chariot so that he might get around
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