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The Zodiac and Astronomy
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Libra
Libra symbolizes the scales and is unique as the only zodiac constellation representing an inanimate object. Its brightest stars are Zubeneschamali (Beta Librae) and Zubenelgenubi (Alpha Librae).
Aquarius
Aquarius symbolizes the water bearer, and it's a large constellation but with faint stars. The Aquarius contains the famous Atoms for Peace galaxy (NGC 7252) and is part of the Zodiacal Light seen from Earth.
Aries
The constellation of Aries represents a ram. It contains the spiral galaxy NGC 772 and is associated with the Autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.
Cancer
Cancer represents a crab and is the faintest constellation in the Zodiac. It includes the star cluster Praesepe or the Beehive Cluster (M44), which is one of the nearest open clusters to Earth.
Taurus
The Taurus constellation is associated with the bull. It is home to the Pleiades star cluster and the Crab Nebula (M1), the remnant of a supernova observed in 1054 AD.
Capricornus
Capricornus is the constellation that represents a goat-fish, a mythological creature. It includes the globular star clusters M30 and dense star fields due to its proximity to the Milky Way.
Gemini
Gemini is the constellation representing twins, Castor and Pollux. It includes the bright stars Castor (Alpha Geminorum) and Pollux (Beta Geminorum), and is part of the Geminid meteor shower's radiant.
Sagittarius
The Sagittarius constellation is depicted as a centaur archer. Within its boundaries is the Lagoon Nebula (M8) and it is one of the richest star fields in the sky due to its inclusion of the Milky Way's center.
Pisces
The Pisces constellation represents two fish. Among its interesting objects are the spiral galaxy Messier 74 (M74) and the circlet asterism marking the western fish's head.
Leo
The constellation of Leo symbolizes a lion. It contains many bright stars like Regulus (Alpha Leonis) and the spiral galaxies M65 and M66 within the Leo Triplet.
Virgo
Virgo is represented as a maiden and is the second-largest constellation in the sky. Notable objects within Virgo include the Virgo Cluster of galaxies and the bright star Spica (Alpha Virginis).
Scorpius
Scorpius is representative of a scorpion. It features Antares, a red supergiant star, and is rich in bright clusters and nebulae like the Butterfly Cluster (M6) and the Ptolemy Cluster (M7).
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