 |
CONSTELLATION OF LIBRA |
Name: Libra
Abbreviation: Lib
Meaning: Scales
Right Ascension: 15h
Declination: -15º
Area (Degrees squared): 538
Stars with known planets: 3
Bordering Constellations: Serpens, Virgo, Hydra,
Centaurus, Lupus, Scorpio, Ophiuchus
Visible at latitudes between +65º and -90º and best at 21.00h during June. In the northern hemisphere, the constellation of Libra is considered a
summer constellation and is visible from April to September depending on the time of night.
Libra, a sign of the zodiac and the only one for which the symbol is not a living creature, lies between Virgo to the west and Scorpio to the east.
|
| LIbra |
 |
| Observations |
Deep Sky Objects:
NGC 5885 - Barred, Spiral Galaxy, magnitude 11.70.
NGC 5897 - Globlar Cluster, magnitude 8.60. This cluster is more diffuse than the more well-known globulars and more irregularly shaped.
Numbered Stars with Magnitudes:
1. +4.10
2. +3.90
3. +3.25
4. +2.75 - Zubenelgenubi
5. +2.60 - Zubeneschamali
Star number 4, Zubenelgenubi, means southern claw; a throw back to when Libra was considered part of Scorpio. Zubenelgenubi is a magnitude 2.75 star
with a magnitude 5.15 stellar companion - a double star which is easily separated with binoculars. The two are a physical double, both lying 77 light-years away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In-Site Links: