| Name and Etymology | |
|---|---|
| Name | Auriga |
| Translation | Charioteer |
| Abbreviation | Aur |
| Genitive | Aurigae |
| Position and Location | |
|---|---|
| Right Ascension | 06h 00m 00s |
| Declination | +40 00' 00" |
| Bordering Constellations | Camelopardalis Gemini Lynx Perseus Taurus |
| The constellation of Auriga is one of the oldest star groups to be recognized, however its precise beginnings are not quite recognized, although it is beheld as a charioteer. This association of stars has also been extensively affiliated with goatherds. In what might be a mixture of the two connections, Auriga is usually depicted holding a goat over one shoulder, which is denoted by the very brilliant star Capella, and with two, or sometimes three other "kids" on his arm. The constellation is often times seen as an irregular hexagon, beginning with the star Capella, and proceeding clockwise to Almaaz, Hassaleh, then to Elnath (see Taurus), then to Theta Aurigae, Menkalinan, and finally back to Capella. Delta Aurigae is often times connected to create a triagle that cooresponds as Auriga's head and the upper part of his body. Since Auriga is situated within the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy, the constellation possesses many rich deep sky objects. |
 Auriga carrying the goat and kids, from the Uranographia of Johann Bode (1801). The bright star Capella lies in the body of the goat |
 Auriga carrying the goat and kids depicted in Urania's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825. |
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Notable Features Auriga is the 21st largest constellation, encompassing an area roughly 657 square degrees of the celestial sky. It is visible between latitudes of +90 degrees and -40 degrees, and can be best seen throughout the whole month of January around 9 P.M. local time. Asterisms The stars Capella, Almaaz, Hoedus I, and Hoedus II form an asterism known as the "Kids," referring to four juvenille goats that Auriga possesses within his grasp. The star Capella also pertains to one of largest asterisms in the night sky, the "Winter Hexagon." Stars The constellation possesses about 65 Bayer and Flamsteed stars, these are principle stars catalogued by Johann Bayer and John Flamsteed (each catalogued seperately). It also contains approximately 6 stellar systems that contains planets, HD 40979, also known as HIP 28767, is the brightest star in the constellation to hold a planet. The grouping consists of six stars that luminate at magnitude 3.55 and brighter. The brightest star in the constellation is known as Capella. It luminates at a magnitude of about 0.1 and is situated some 42 light years from our solar sytem. It ranks as the sixth brightest star in the heavens and it is therefore the brightest star closest to the North Celestial Pole (NCP), making it easily visible at any night during the whole year from the upper northern latitudes. The second magnitude star Menkalinan is an eclisping binary star which causes the brightness of the star to fluctuate slightly, and Almaaz is the one of the brightest stars situated within the Milky Way Galaxy, is a star system composed of five known stars. QY Aurigae is the closest star of all the stars that reside within the constellation of Auriga, for its calculated distance is approximately 20.7 light years from our solar system. |
| Bright Star | Magnitude |
| Capella | 0.06 |
| Menkalinan | 1.87 |
| Theta Aurigae | 2.62 |
| Hasselah | 2.68 |
| Almaaz | 3.00 |
Galactic Clusters The Milky Way Galaxy runs faintly through Auriga, therefore the constellation possesses a numerous amount of galactic, or open, star clusters. Three of which pertain to the infamous Messier (M) Catalogue, a listing of over 100 deep sky objects compiled by comet hunter Charles Messier. These clusters of stars are M 36, M 37, and finally M 38 respectively. They are three of the brightest to be observed in a good pair of binoculars or a small telescope, and can be easily resolvable in larger scopes. Nebulae Like mentioned previously, Auriga is situated within the plane of one of the fainter spiral arms of our Galaxy, therefore, like galactic clusters, a variety of nebulae exist the enclosed boundaries of the bright constellation. The Flaming Star Nebula is one of infamous nebulae in the winter sky, and IC 2149 is the brightest planetary nebula. |
| Deep Sky Object | Object Type |
| NGC 2281 | Galactic Cluster |
| M 37 | Galactic Cluster |
| M 36 | Galactic Cluster |
| M 38 | Galactic Cluster |
