Capricorn Constellation Facts

By Denise on April 11, 2014, 35417 views

Capricorn is one of the constellations of the zodiac and belongs to the 88 modern constellations.

According to the tropical astrology the Sun resides in Capricorn from December 22 to January 19, while in the sidereal astrology is it said to transit it from January 15 to February 14. Astrologically, this is associated with the planet Saturn.

The name of the constellation comes from the Latin for “horned goat” as Capricornus is commonly depicted as a sea goat, a mythical creature that is half goat and half fish. It was first described by Ptolemy.

This constellation from the Northern Hemisphere lies between Sagittarius to the east and Aquarius to the west. Capricornus can be seen best from Europe early in the morning in September.

Dimensions: This is the smallest constellation in the zodiac with only 414 square degrees.

Rank: 40th.

Brightness: This is the second faintest constellation, after Cancer.

History: Capricornus is one of the oldest associations, since Middle Bronze Age. The Babylonians named it Suhur.mas “the goat fish”. Greek mythology depicts it as Amalthea, the goat that suckled the infant Zeus. The goat’s horn turns into cornucopia, the horn of plenty.

Stars: Despite being such a faint constellation, Capricorn has a few notable stars: for example, alpha star, Deneb Algedi, Denebola, Nashira and Giedi.

Galaxies: Capricornus has several galaxies and star clusters, including Messier 30 and a spiral galaxy group.

About the author

Denise, Founder and Editor in Chief

Denise, Founder and Editor in Chief

Denise shows her take on subjects she is passionate about as the Founder and Editor in Chief of TheHoroscope.co and other online projects she is involved in. See profile