Sagittarius

• Abbreviation: Sgr
• Genitive: Sagittarii
• Translation: The Archer
• Sky Chart
• Peoria Astronomical Society Sagittarius Page
• Interactive star chart (Java applet)

Position in the Sky

• Explanation of the following information
• Right Ascension: 19 hours
• Declination: -25 degrees
• Visible between latitudes 55 and -90 degrees
• Best seen in August (at 9:00 PM)

Named Stars

• Rukbat (Alpha Sgr)
• Arkab Prior (Beta 1 Sgr)
• Arkab Posterior (Beta 2 Sgr)
• Nash (Gamma 2 Sgr)
• Kaus Meridionalis (Delta Sgr)
• KAUS AUSTRALIS (Epsilon Sgr)
• Ascella (Zeta Sgr)
• Kaus Borealis (Lambda Sgr)
• Ain al Rami (Nu 1 Sgr)
• Albaldah (Pi Sgr)
• NUNKI (Sigma Sgr)
• Terebellum (Omega Sgr)
• Terebellum (59 Sgr)
• Terebellum (60 Sgr)
• Terebellum (62 Sgr)

Messier Objects

• M8 The Lagoon Nebula (diffuse nebula)
• M17 The Omega, Swan, or Horseshoe Nebula (diffuse nebula)
• M18 (open cluster)
• M20 The Triffid Nebula (diffuse nebula)
• M21 (open cluster)
• M22 (globular cluster)
• M23 (open cluster)
• M24 Milky Way Patch (star cloud with open cluster)
• M25 (open cluster)
• M28 (globular cluster)
• M54 (globular cluster)
• M55 (globular cluster)
• M69 (globular cluster)
• M70 (globular cluster)
• M75 (globular cluster)

This is one of the 13 constellations of the Zodiac.

The center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, lies in the direction of Sagittarius. It is believed to be about 29,000 light years away from us. The Sun orbits around the Milky Way once every 200 million years at a speed of 220 kilometers per second! What is at the center of the galaxy? No one really knows yet, but it appears that there might be a giant black hole there with a mass about a million times greater that the Sun.

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