Constellations · Constellation · Aurigae · Aur
Constellation
Auriga
The charioteer, carrying a she-goat and her kids on his arm. Capella, “the little she-goat”, is the sixth-brightest star in the sky.
- Genitive
- Aurigae
- Area
- 657 square degrees · 21st of 88
- Brightest star
- Capella · magnitude 0.08
- Naked-eye stars
- 158 brighter than magnitude 6.5
- Highest at midnight
- mid December
Myth
Usually identified with Erichthonius, a lame king of Athens said to have invented the four-horse chariot. The goat is Amalthea, who nursed the infant Zeus.
Look for
Beside Capella is a small triangle of stars, the Kids. One of them, Almaaz, is eclipsed by a vast dark disc for almost two years every 27.
Look for
Sweep the Milky Way through the pentagon with binoculars for three open clusters in a row: M 36, M 37 and M 38.