Libra is the zodiac constellation in the southern hemisphere of the night sky. The Latin name is "libra". The ancient Sumerians called the constellation Zib-Ba An-Na, which means "the balance of Heaven". The constellation Libra lies between the constellations Scorpio and Virgo. By the way, in Babylonian astronomy, his sign was represented in the form of the claws of a scorpion. However, there was an error in the translation from the Arabic word "zubana" and the Akkadian word "zibanitu", both of which can mean both "scales" and "scorpion". It is shaped like a scorpion hanging upside down, and was known as the "claw of Scorpio" until the 1st century BC, never previously identified as the constellation Libra.
In addition, it has been suggested that this zodiac sign hints that when the Sun enters this part of the ecliptic, the autumnal equinox occurs. In Egyptian ancient mythology, the constellation Libra, also known as the "Balance of Truth" and "The Last Judgment", goes back to the Egyptian rituals of the afterlife, in which they are used to weigh the souls of the dead. In addition, they are associated with the goddess Maat, as the main ancient Egyptian deity who was related to this constellation. She wasdaughter of Ra and patronized truth, justice and universal harmony.
In Greek mythology, Libra is a constellation representing Pluto's Golden Chariot drawn by four black horses. Once, visiting the afterlife on his chariot, Pluto saw Persephone, the daughter of the god Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of fertility. The story of Pluto's abduction of Persephone is a famous Greek myth that personifies the vegetation that wakes up in the spring, sprouts and goes into the ground after the harvest.
Ancient Roman legends attribute the appearance of the constellation Libra to Emperor Augustus, who was famous for his justice. In gratitude to the great figure, the subjects immortalized his name, naming this sign of the Zodiac in memory of the justice of Augustus.
Today, the sign is depicted as a scale held in her hands by Themis, the Greek goddess of justice, thus being associated with the neighboring constellation Virgo.
This is the only sign of the Zodiac that does not represent wildlife. The constellation Libra covers an area of 538 square degrees and contains three stars with known planets. It is visible at latitudes between +65° and -90° and is best viewed at 9pm during June. In stellar astrology, the Sun passes through Libra between October 16 and November 15, while in tropical astrology it is considered to be in this sign between September 23 and October 23.
The constellation Libra, the photo of which you see above, does not havebright galaxies, but there is one that might be of interest to observers. With a large telescope, the spiral galaxy NGC 5885, with a magnitude of 11.7, can be seen near Beta Libra. It is also home to Gliese 581C, the first exoplanet to be found orbiting its parent star, the red dwarf Gliese 581, within the star's habitable zone. This terrestrial planet was found in 2007. Another planet orbiting the same star, Gliese 581e, the lowest mass exoplanet found orbiting a normal star.
