Constellations · Constellation · Aquilae · Aql
Constellation
Aquila
Zeus’s eagle, which carried his thunderbolts — flying down the Milky Way with Altair, one of the nearest bright stars, at its heart.
- Genitive
- Aquilae
- Area
- 652 square degrees · 22nd of 88
- Brightest star
- Altair · magnitude 0.76
- Naked-eye stars
- 128 brighter than magnitude 6.5
- Highest at midnight
- early July
Myth
The eagle snatched the youth Ganymede up to Olympus to be cupbearer of the gods; he is the neighbouring water-bearer, Aquarius.
Other skies
In East Asia, Altair is the Cowherd, separated from his love the Weaver, Vega, by the river of the Milky Way. Once a year magpies form a bridge — the festival of Qixi, or Tanabata.
Science
Altair spins so fast, once every nine hours or so, that it bulges into a flattened egg; in 2007 it became one of the first stars beyond the Sun to have its surface imaged.