Fact sheet
- Latin name
- Libra (Lib)
- Brightest star
- Zubeneschamali (β Lib)
- Relative brightness
- 2.61 mag
- Hipparcos catalogue
- HIP 74785
- Area
- 538 deg² (rank: 29 out of 88)
- Right ascension
- 14h 21m 38s to 16h 02m 17s
- Declination
- -29° 59' 42'' to -0° 28' 27''
- Neighbouring constellations
- Serpens, Virgo, Hydra, Lupus, Scorpius, Ophiuchus
Visibility
The constellation Libra
Libra is a constellation of the southern hemisphere. It lies on the ecliptic and is therefore one of the zodiac constellations. The ecliptic describes the apparent path of the sun over the course of a year. During this time, the sun passes through all the zodiac constellations. From 30 October to 23 November, the sun is in the constellation Libra. During this time, the constellation cannot be observed because it is in the daytime sky.
The brightest star of Libra is β Librae, often described as greenish, which bears the Arabic name “Zubeneschamali” (the northern claw). Next to it is the star α Librae, better known as “Zubenelgenubi” (the southern claw). The names of these stars show that they originally belonged to Scorpius.
Mythology
The Babylonians already knew Libra as a constellation of its own (MUL Zibanu, “the scales”). Later, the constellation was associated with the Egyptian judgement of the dead, in which the hearts of the dead were weighed. According to the Egyptians, the dog-headed Anubis, god of funeral rites and mummification, is said to have accepted into the realm of the gods only those of the dead whose hearts were no heavier than the feather of the goddess Maat. Later, Libra disappeared from the starry sky and its stars were counted as part of the constellation Scorpius. After Libra had belonged to the constellation Scorpius for several centuries, the ancient Romans introduced it again as the scales of the goddess of justice, Astraea. Astraea herself is represented by the constellation Virgo, which lies directly next to Libra in the sky. The Romans also had a very close bond with this constellation, because the moon is said to have been in Libra when Rome was founded.
Astrological significance
People who were born between 24 September and 22 October are born under the zodiac sign of Libra. They need harmony and are sensitive, but they are also eager to act and enjoy the beautiful things in life. They have a very strong sense of justice and try to weigh up each of their decisions for the good of everyone involved and to find compromises. Because of this, they often find it difficult to make decisions.
