Water Carrier

Aquarius

This drawing, as well as those below, is from Sidney Hall’s set of drawings called Urania’s Mirror. Published in 1824, the set contains 32 star chart cards depicting 79 constellations, many of which are no longer recognized or are considered sub-constellations. The illustrations are based on what’s viewable from Great Britain, making them fairly similar to what you’d see in the States.

Latin for “water carrier” or “cup carrier” Best viewed in: October

While one of the biggest, most famous, and oldest named constellations, Aquarius is faint and often hard to find/see. In Greek mythology, Aquarius represented Ganymede, a very handsome young man. Zeus recognized the lad’s good looks, and invited Ganymede to Mt. Olympus to be the cupbearer of the gods. For his service he was granted eternal youth, as well as a place in the night sky.