Today, zodiac constellations are most commonly brought up in the context of western astrology, as the 12 constellations correspond to the 12 signs of the zodiac. Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus, is the 14th brightest of all stars, followed by Spica, the brightest star in Virgo and 15th brightest star in the sky, Antares, the bright red supergiant in Scorpius and 16th brightest star, Pollux in Gemini, the 17th brightest of all stars, and Regulus in Leo, which comes in 21st overall. In terms of brightness, several of the 12 constellations contain some of the brightest stars in the sky.
Aries stretches across 441.39 square degrees while Capricornus, the smallest of the 12 zodiac constellations, covers 413.95 square degrees of the southern sky. Libra (538.05), Gemini (513.76), Cancer (505.87) and Scorpius (496.78) cover areas similar in size and on the smaller end of the scale. Pisces comes in fourth with 889.417 square degrees, followed by Sagittarius (867.43 square degrees) and Taurus (797.25 square degrees). It represents the Nemean lion, a mythical monster defeated by Heracles as part of his 12 labours. Leo, the third largest zodiac constellation, occupies an area of 946.96 square degrees of the northern sky. Also located in the southern celestial hemisphere, Aquarius represents Ganymede, the cup bearer to the Olympian gods in Greek mythology.
Virgo is also the second largest of all 88 constellations, only slightly smaller than Hydra.Ĭovering an area of 979.85 square degrees, Aquarius is the second largest zodiac constellation and the 10th largest constellation in the sky. The largest of the 12 zodiac constellations is Virgo, which covers 1294.43 square degrees of the southern night sky. The equinoxes are the points where the ecliptic and the celestial equator intersect, and the Sun appears directly above the equator twice a year (on March 19-21 and September 21-24). This may have been somewhat true in antiquity, but due to the Earth’s axial precession, the vernal and autumnal equinoxes (known as the First Point of Aries and First Point of Libra) have since moved to Pisces and Virgo. the Sun is said to enter these signs on the first days of spring, summer, autumn and winter respectively. The so-called cardinal signs ( Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) mark the beginning of the four seasons, i.e. Today, the term zodiac is mostly associated with astrology, with the 12 signs of the western zodiac corresponding to the 12 constellations seen along the ecliptic. Seven of the constellations found along the ecliptic represent animals, as they did in Greek and Roman times: Aries (the Ram), Taurus (the Bull), Cancer (the Crab), Leo (the Lion), Scorpius (the Scorpion), Capricornus (the Goat), and Pisces (the Fish). The word zodiac comes from the Greek ζῳδιακός (zōidiakos), meaning the “circle of animals.” The Latin term zōdiacus was derived from the Greek, and the Greek term comes from the word ζῴδιον (zōdion), which is the diminutive of ζῷον (zōon), or animal. The northern zodiac constellations – Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer and Leo – are located in the eastern celestial hemisphere, while the southern – Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus and Aquarius – are found in the west. The Sun also passes through Ophiuchus, a constellation that has traditionally not been part of the zodiac family. Zodiac constellations, image: Till Credner (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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