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>
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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>
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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>
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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>