Libra Constellation

Libra is basically a constellation of the zodiac, in fact it was officially recognized as the seventh zodiac sign. In primitive times, the Libra constellation was affiliated with the sound judgment of the living and the dead. Being the sole inanimate Zodiac sign amongst the other representatives, the name Libra is originally derived from Latin, which means, 'scales or 'balance'. Therefore it is also called the constellation of The Scales or Balance. It is often seen that, a statue of Astaea - the Goddess of Justice, holds the balance or the scales which is usually put up over the domes of court houses. Astronomy says that, the constellation of Libra is sparingly visible and also there are barely any first magnitude stars confined within them. So exactly where is Libra located in the Sky? Well, here it is, it's situated on the ecliptic in between Virgo to the west and Scorpius to the east. And specific latitudes visible between +65 degrees and -90 degrees. It is observed that in the hemisphere of the north during the months of spring, this constellation is best viewed.

Note: In the sky, the plane on which the sun, moon and various planets travel across is called the ecliptic. As we know, that on the same plane, we orbit the sun, and if there are any constellations reposing on the ecliptic, the solar system objects will pass only through them. Such constellations on the ecliptic are called Zodiac constellations.

Astronomical history says that once Libra constellation was a part of the Virgo constellation the Virgin and later it became a part of the Scorpion the Scorpius, which depicted its claws. Considering the clear reference of the scorpion past, the two brightest stars confined in this constellation are pertained to as - northern claw and southern claw. Also, maximum stars, dwelling are dimmer and they form a triangular picture with two lines extended downward from each of its ends. This depicts a picture of a basket holding objects or items that are being weighed. Perhaps looking with an astronomical viewpoint, I see the universe being so naturally amazing! This reminds me of a poem by Marcus Manilius which is genuinely imputed to the constellation of Libra:

"When springtime begins to raise, blessed is he, who is born under Libras balance. As judge he shall weigh the burdens of life and death; He will order the scales of his authority upon the world and make law. Cities and kingdoms will tremble before him, and be guided by his commandments alone, while after his stay upon earth, judgment in the heavens awaits for himself."
To delve further to the depth of this subject, let's take a look to what the stars display.

The Stars of Libra: The Constellation of the Scales
It is studied that the brightest stars in this constellation form a Quadrangle. In the triangle formation, the star which is located to the south or to the right of the triangle, is called Zubenelgenubi which means 'southern claw', of magnitude 2.75. Also known as, Alpha Librae- α Librae or α Lib. α Librae is the second brightest star in the Libra constellation of spectral type A3 and is located approximately 77 light-years from the Sun. This star has a stellar companion, and that object has a magnitude measuring 5.15 and position angle is 314 degrees. These double stars in the star astronomy are called binary stars (visual binary). The separation between them gives an angular distance of 231'' (3'51''). They can easily be separated by observing through binoculars.

Now, in the constellation Zubeneschamali the name means 'northern claw', there is a star located at the top of the triangle, at a magnitude of 2.61. It is also known as Beta Librae - β Librae or β Lib (main sequence star). Astronomy says, it is a blue dwarf star of the spectral type B8, and is the brightest with a luminosity 130 times greater than the Sun. It is located at 160 light-years away from Earth. The constellation Zubeneschamali is known to be the remnant from the time frame when Libra was a part of the Scorpion- the Scorpius.

Thirdly, is the Zubenelakrab, also known as, Gamma Librae - γ Librae, γ Lib, means, 'scorpions claws'. It happens to mark the last spot of the triangle of Libra. This star belongs to the spectral class of stars namely, K0III which means the star is orange in its color and is ranked as the fourth-magnitude star. γ Librae from Earth, it is located 152 light-years away and has an apparent magnitude of +3.91.

Far located from the limits with Scorpius constellation, the fourth star Sigma Librae σ Librae, σ Lib, stretches down beneath the point of Zubenelgenubi and is well found within the Libra constellation. Belonging to the spectral class M3-III, the remarkable properties noted are, its red color. Situated 292 light-years away, σ Librae has an apparent magnitude of +3.25. Also, observation says that, two stars extend down from Zubenelakrab and lie at the border with Lepus constellation, they are namely, Upsilon Librae - magnitude 3.60 and Tau Librae - magnitude 3.66

Facts about Libra Constellation

• It has a Symbol (Unicode ♎).
• Best time to see Libra is in the month of June.
• It has right ascension: 15 h; Declination: -15 degrees; Quadrant: SQ3
• Its constellation size rank is 29
• Other cluster and globular objects in the constellation are NGC 5897 (Globular Cluster)
• Nearest stars are HD 131977 which are about 19.3 ly away.
• Meteor Showers are observed in the month of May (May 1-9, with peak on May 6), showers are called May Librids.
• Some conceive Libra as the Chariot of the rich one (an alternative name for the underworld God Hades). But according to the myth, Scorpio claws are formed. The only Zodiac which doesn't exemplify a living creature.
• The symbolic meaning of the star Gamma Librae is originally derived from Zubānā an Arabic name which means, both 'scorpion' and 'weighing scale'.
• Some 400 years ago, when zodiac was at the early stage of development, at the autumnal equinox, the sun passed through this constellation, i.e (September 21st). Thus, astronomically it is proved that, during Spring and Autumn, the two equinoxes, the hours of the daylight and darkness are known to be equal.
• Libra is used in the unit of measurement for pound weight- lb
• Libra is known to be the home to the star Gliese 581, having a planetary system of 6 planets, has one of them named Gliese 581c, which is found to be an Earth-like planet in its habitable zone.

See What These Terms Mean
Apparent Magnitude (m) - The measure of the brightness of a celestial body seen by an observer on Earth. The brighter the object, the less the value of its magnitude.
Light-Year (ly) - The distance that light travels in vacuum in one complete year.

After going through this amazing information, wouldn't you like to observe it with your own eyes? So, go star gazing tonight and see if you can spot a Libra in the sky!