Libra is called the zodiacal constellation in the southern hemisphere of the night sky. The Latin name is "libra". Ancient Sumerians called the constellation Zib-Ba An-Na, which means "balance of Heaven". The constellation of Libra is between the constellations of Scorpio and Virgo. By the way, in Babylonian astronomy his sign was represented in the form of claws of a scorpion. However, there was a mistake in translating from Arabic the word "zubana" and the Akkadian word "zibanitu", both of which can mean both "scales" and "scorpion". It has the shape of a scorpion suspended upside down, and was known as the "Scorpion's claw" before the 1st century BC, was never identified before as the constellation of Libra.
In addition, it was suggested that this sign of the Zodiac, as if hinting at the fact that when the Sun enters this part of the ecliptic, the autumnal equinox comes. In Egyptian ancient mythology, the constellation Libra, they are the "Balance of Truth" and "The Last Judgment", date 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, which had to do with this constellation. She was the daughter of Ra and patronized the truth, justice and universal harmony.
In Greek mythology, Libra is a constellation representing the Golden Chariot of Pluto, harnessed by four black horses. Once, after visiting the next world in his chariot, Pluto saw Persephone, the daughter of the god Zeus and Demeter, the goddess of fertility. The story of the abduction by Pluto Persephone is a famous Greek myth that embodies the vegetation that wakes up in the spring, giving offs and escaping into the earth after harvest.
Ancient Roman legends attribute the appearance of the constellation of Libra to Emperor Augustus, who was famous for his justice. In gratitude to the great figure, the subjects immortalized his name, calling this sign of the Zodiac in memory of Augustus' justice.
Today the sign is portrayed as a scales held by Themis, the Greek goddess of justice, thus associating with the neighboring constellation of the Virgin.
This is the only sign of the Zodiac, which does not represent a living nature.
The constellation of Libra covers an area of 538 square degrees and contains three stars with famous planets. It can be seen at latitudes between +65 ° and -90 °, and it is best seen at 9 pm during June. In stellar astrology, the Sun passes through Libra between October 16 and November 15, and in tropical astrology it is considered in this sign from September 23 to October 23.
The constellation of Libra, the photo of which you see above, does not have bright galaxies, but there is one that may be of interest to observers. A large telescope can be seen spiral galaxy NGC 5885, with a magnitude of 11.7, located next to Beta Libra. It is also home to the Gliese 581C, the first exoplanet that was discovered moving along the orbit of its parent star, the red dwarf Gliese 581, within the inhabited zone of the star. This earth-type planet was found in 2007. Another planet, revolving around the same star, Gliese 581e - the exoplanet with the smallest mass, is found rotating around a normal star.