Auriga constellation
Latin Auriga, genitive Aurigae, abbreviation Aur
North up, east to the left, as you see the sky. The lines are a common figure; the stars are from the catalogue.
The myth
A charioteer, often identified with Erichthonius, inventor of the four-horse chariot. He carries a goat on his shoulder: Capella, 'the little she-goat', the sixth brightest star in the sky, in truth a yellow pair of two giant stars. From Europe and much of North America Capella never sets; in winter it stands almost overhead.
When can Auriga be seen?
It stands highest around 10 pm in January. It can be seen from everywhere north of 38°S, and it never sets north of 61°N.
The brightest stars
| Star | Designation | Magnitude | Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capella | α Aur | 0.08 | yellow |
| Menkalinan | β Aur | 1.90 | white |
| Mahasim | θ Aur | 2.62 | bluish |
| Hassaleh | ι Aur | 2.69 | reddish |
| Almaaz | ε Aur | 2.99 | yellowish white |
| Haedus | η Aur | 3.17 | bluish |
| – | δ Aur | 3.72 | orange |
| Saclateni | ζ Aur | 3.75 | orange |
The smaller the number, the brighter: below 1 are the brightest stars of the sky, 4 is hard to see under a city sky. Greek letters after Johann Bayer (1603).