Sagitta - The Arrow

Learn about the constellation Sagitta - The Arrow, location, facts, mythology, meteor showers and deep space objects.

Sagitta is the third-smallest of all constellations (only Equuleus and Crux are smaller). Ptolemy included it in his list of 48 constellations. At that time, however, it was even smaller, spanning only about 4 sq. deg. It's also on the list of 88 constellations now acknowledged by the IAU.

Location: Northern Summer 19h RA 18° Dec

Being located not very far to the north of the equator, this constellation can be seen from everywhere except for the southernmost part of the world.

Sagitta Mythology

Although Sagitta doesn't contain any bright stars, many cultures have seen an arrow in it [1], among them the Persians, Hebrews, Greeks and Romans. So various stories are trying to explain the meaning of Sagitta. The two most important ones both take into account the neighbouring constellations Hercules, which had in earlier times been identified as a stag, (to the west) and Aquila (to the east).

Sagitta Deep Space Objects

Messier 71 is a very loose globular cluster mistaken for quite some time for a dense open cluster.

In this table, the observation month represents the month in which the object reaches its highest point in the sky. It can also be viewed a few months before and after depending on your location. Direction is the compass direction in which the object is located, with Z meaning Zenith or overhead.