The Water Cup of the Gods

Aquarius has been around a long time. The Bablylonians named these stars “The Great One” after their god Ea. The ancient Egyptians associated Aquarius with the annual floods of the Nile when these stars dipped close to the river. The Greeks also associated these stars with water. In some myths, Aquarius is the young Ganymede, who holds the water cup of the gods on Mount Olympus…

The faint stars of the constellation Aquarius lie in the expanse between the head of Pegasus and the the wide horned expanse of Capricorn, the Goat. Look for these stars just over the southern horizon in the northern hemisphere, and nearly overhead from the southern hemisphere in mid-evening hours in October and November. The star Sadalmelik marks the right shoulder of the water bearer and Sadalsuud his left, and Sadachbia, Zeta (ζ), Eta (η), and Pi (π) indicate his right hand and the cup. From this cup flow other “water constellations”, including Piscis Austrinus, Eridanus, Pisces, and Cetus, all of which lie in this part of the sky.
In binoculars, look especially around the area of Skat (delta Aquarii) and tau Aquarii. The latter star is a wide double star, one white and one ...