Auriga constellation lies in the northern hemisphere. Its name means “the charioteer” in Latin. The constellation got this name because its major stars form a shape similar to that of the pointed helmet of a charioteer.
Auriga was first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. It contains Capella, the sixth brightest star in the sky.
The constellation is also the site of the galactic anti-centre, the point in the sky opposite to the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy, which is located in the constellation Sagittarius, near the border with Scorpius. The nearest bright star to the galactic anti-centre is Alnath, Beta Tauri.
Auriga contains a number of interesting deep sky objects, including the open star clusters Messier 36, Messier 37, and Messier 38 and the emission/reflection nebula IC 405 (the Flaming Star Nebula).
FACTS, LOCATION & MAP
Auriga is the 21st biggest constellation in the night sky, occupying 657 square degrees. It is located in the first quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ1) and can be seen at latitudes between +90° and -40°. The neighboring constellations are Camelopardalis, Gemini, Lynx, Perseus, and Taurus.
Auriga belongs to the Perseus family of constellations, together with Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Cetus, Lacerta, Pegasus, Perseus, and Triangulum.
Auriga contains three Messier objects – M36 (NGC 1960), M37 (NGC 2099), and M38 (NGC 1912) – and has eight stars with known planets. The brightest star in the constellation is Capella, Alpha Aurigae, which is also the sixth brightest star in the sky. There are two meteor showers associated with Auriga: the Alpha Aurigids and the Delta Aurigids.
MYTH
Auriga is usually depicted as a charioteer, holding the reins of a chariot with his right hand and carrying a goat and its two young on his left arm. Even though the image of the charioteer appears in Johann Bode’s Uranographia (1801), none of the stories Auriga is usually associated with have a goat in them.
In mythology, Auriga is most frequently identified with Erichthonius, king of Athens and son of the fire god Hephaestus.
Erichthonius was raised by the goddess Athena, who taught him many skills he wouldn’t have ordinarily learned. He was the first man to tame and harness four horses to a chariot, imitating the chariot of the Sun god. Zeus was impressed and later placed Erichthonius among the stars. Erichthonius is usually credited for the invention of the four-horse chariot, the quadriga.
In another myth, Auriga represents Hephaestus himself, the lame god, who built the chariot so that he could travel anywhere he wanted, whenever he wanted, without difficulty.
In another popular myth, the charioteer is Myrtilus, son of Hermes, who served King Oenomaus of Pisa. Oenomaus had a beautiful daughter, Hippodamia, and was determined not to give her hand away to any of her suitors. He would challenge each of them to a chariot race. If he caught up with them before they arrived to Corinth, he would kill them.
With Myrtilus driving the king’s chariot, none of Hippodamia’s suitors survived the race until Pelops, son of Tantalus, came to ask the king for his daughter’s hand. Hippodamia fell in love with Pelops at first sight and asked Myrtilus to let him win. The charioteer, who was himself in love with the king’s daughter, obeyed and tampered with the chariot’s wheels. During the race, the wheels fell off and King Oenomaus was thrown off the chariot and killed. Once Pelops had won the race, he cast his rival Myrtilus into the sea. Betrayed, Myrtilus cursed the house of Pelops before he drowned. It was Myrtilus’ father Hermes who placed his son’s image among the stars.
The star Capella, Alpha Aurigae, is associated with Amalthea, the goat who was foster-mother to Zeus. The name Capella is Roman and means “she-goat.” The star is located on the Charioteer’s left shoulder.
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