Facts about Aquarius Constellation

1. 08

   Aquarius contains the star Gliese 876, a red dwarf only 15.3 light-years away with at least four confirmed exoplanets orbiting it.

   Aquarius ConstellationMay 14shareexoplanetstellardistance
2. 07

   Aquarius hosts the Helix Nebula, one of the nearest planetary nebulae to Earth at approximately 650 light-years distant, displaying a striking eye-like appearance through telescopes.

   Aquarius ConstellationMay 14shareastronomynebulameasurement
3. 06

   Located within Aquarius, the globular cluster M2 contains approximately 150,000 stars and ranks among the oldest known star clusters at roughly 13 billion years old.

   Aquarius ConstellationMay 14shareastronomystellarancient
4. 05

   Around 2,600 years ago, Greek astronomer Eudoxus catalogued Aquarius as one of the original 48 constellations visible from the Mediterranean region.

   Aquarius ConstellationMay 14shareancientastronomyhistory
5. 04

   Aquarius spans 980 square degrees across the sky, making it the tenth largest constellation in Earth's celestial sphere.

   Aquarius ConstellationMay 14shareastronomymeasurementcelestial
6. 03

   Aquarius contains the Saturn Nebula, a planetary nebula discovered in 1781 that resembles Saturn's rings when viewed through telescopes.

   Aquarius ConstellationMay 14shareastronomynebuladiscovery
7. 02

   In ancient Babylonian astronomy, Aquarius represented the god Ea and was associated with the rainy season occurring around February through March.

   Aquarius ConstellationMay 14shareancientmythologyastronomy
8. 01

   The brightest star in Aquarius, Sadalmelik, shines at magnitude 2.94 and lies approximately 520 light-years from Earth.

   Aquarius ConstellationMay 13shareastronomymeasurementstars