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AURIGA
The Charioteer
Auriga - Alexander Jamieson - 1822
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With the tip of the bull's horn seemingly piercing his ankle, Auriga, the charioteer, sits astride the Milky Way. The name Auriga is Latin for charioteer, as the constellation resembles the pointed helmet worn by ancient chariot drivers, andthe figure is often depicted holding the reins of his horses. It is said Auriga represents the Greek inventor of the four horse chariot, Erichthonius, who used his chariot to win many battles, and eventually became King of Athens. He was placed in the sky to honor his great deeds, and his devotion to the goddess Athena.
Auriga, the charioteer, was also a goatherd, and since antiquity has been depicted with a goat in his arms. Not just any goat, but the famous Amalthea, who suckled the infant Jupiter. It was her horn that became the original cornucopia, a symbol of unending nourishment. When Jupiter became king of the gods, he placed her in the sky safe and protected in the arms of Auriga.
The constellation Auriga contains the sixth brightest star in the sky: Capella, the goat star. It shines brilliantly at magnitude 0.06, and is the most northerly of all the first magnitude stars. Capella is a G8 main sequence star much like our Sun. The small triangle of three stars just below Capella are called The Kids. They represent the baby goats of Amalthea, hiding in the tall grass of the Milky Way.
Auriga contains three stars that support planetary systems. They are all beyond the limits of naked eye observation, and the planets so far are all gas giants larger than Jupiter.
Since Auriga encompasses the Milky Way, it is naturally full of star clusters, including M36, M37, and M38.
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