Sagitta is a dim but distinctive constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for 'arrow', and it should not be confused with the larger constellation Sagittarius, the archer. It was included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. Although it dates from antiquity, Sagitta has no star brighter than 3rd magnitude and has the third-smallest area of any constellation. Gamma Sagittae is the constellation's brightest star, with an apparent magnitude of 3.47. Delta, Epsilon, Zeta and Theta Sagittae are each multiple stars whose components can be seen in small telescopes. Two star systems in Sagitta have Jupiter-like planets, while a third—15 Sagittae—has a brown dwarf companion. V Sagittae is a cataclysmic variable—a binary star system that is expected to go nova and briefly become one of the brightest stars in our sky around the year 2083.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagitta
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1735:
George Frideric Handel's opera Ariodante premiered at the Covent Garden Theatre in London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariodante
1981:
In Trans-en-Provence, France, a local farmer reported a UFO sighting claimed to be "perhaps the most completely and carefully documented sighting of all time". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-en-Provence_case
2011:
Jared Lee Loughner opened fire at a public meeting held by U.S. representative Gabby Giffords in Tucson, Arizona, killing six people and injuring twelve others. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Tucson_shooting
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
mind-boggling: That causes the mind to boggle; that is beyond one's ability to understand or figure out. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mind-boggling
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not. --Mike Pence https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mike_Pence