Auriga is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century
astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its
name is the Latin word for "charioteer", associating it with various
mythological charioteers including Erichthonius and Myrtilus. Auriga is
most prominent during winter evenings in the Northern Hemisphere, along
with the five other constellations that have stars in the Winter Hexagon
asterism. Because of its northern declination, Auriga is only entirely
visible as far as 34° south. A large constellation, with an area of 657
square degrees, it is half the size of the largest constellation, Hydra.
Its brightest star, Capella, is an unusual multiple star system among
the brightest stars in the night sky. The resultant of its position near
the winter Milky Way, Auriga has many bright open clusters in its
borders, including M36, M37, and M38, popular targets for amateur
astronomers. In addition, it has one prominent nebula, the Flaming Star
Nebula. In Chinese mythology, Auriga's stars were incorporated into
several constellations, including the celestial emperors' chariots, made
up of the modern constellation's brightest stars.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auriga_(constellation)>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
986:
Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: The Bulgarians defeated the
Byzantine forces at the Gate of Trajan near present-day Ihtiman, with
Byzantine Emperor Basil II barely escaping.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Gates_of_Trajan>
1807:
Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat, the world's first
commercially successful paddle steamer, went into service on the Hudson
River in New York.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_River_Steamboat>
1945:
Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed the independence of
Indonesia, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch
Empire.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_National_Revolution>
1980:
Two-month-old Australian Azaria Chamberlain was taken from her
family's campsite at Uluru by a dingo, for which her mother would be
convicted of murder.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Azaria_Chamberlain>
1999:
A 7.5 Mw earthquake struck northwestern Turkey (damage
pictured), killing over 17,000 people and leaving approximately half a
million people homeless.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_%C4%B0zmit_earthquake>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
remuneration:
1. Something given in exchange for goods or services rendered.
2. A payment for work done; wages, salary, emolument.
3. A recompense for a loss; compensation.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/remuneration>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Life doesn't have a neat beginning and a tidy end, life is always
going on. You should begin in the middle and end in the middle, and it
should be all there.
--V. S. Naipaul
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/V._S._Naipaul>