Sagittarius.
Sagittarius
A centaur drawing his bow — pointing toward the heart of the Milky Way.
Nov 22 – Dec 21
Sagittarius · 867 sq° of sky, brightest star Kaus Australis
Sagittarius (Sagittarius) covers 867 square degrees of the southern sky and points toward the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. Its brightest star is Kaus Australis, the southernmost of the three stars marking the bow of the celestial archer.
Sagittarius, the Archer, is usually depicted as a centaur drawing a bow aimed at the heart of the neighbouring Scorpion. In Babylonian astronomy the figure was the warrior-god Pabilsag, dating to the early 2nd millennium BCE.
Greek tradition is divided: some sources identify Sagittarius with Chiron, the wise centaur tutor of Achilles and Asclepius — but most place Chiron in Centaurus instead. The Sagittarius archer is then a different centaur, perhaps Crotus, son of Pan.
"The Muses asked Zeus to honour Crotus among the stars — bow drawn, aimed at Scorpius."
Crotus invented archery and lived with the Muses on Mount Helicon. The Muses asked Zeus to honour him among the stars — and so the archer's drawn bow points eternally at the rising scorpion's heart.
Where this comes from.
Mythology
- Aratus Phaenomena 299-305
- Hyginus Astronomica 2.27
- Eratosthenes Catasterismi 28
Paintings & illustrations
- The Education of Achilles by Chiron — Eugène Delacroix (1862) · Wikimedia · PD
- Sagittarius and Corona Australis, Microscopium, and Telescopium — Sidney Hall (engraver), Jehoshaphat Aspin (text) (1825) · Wikimedia · PD
For fun · sources cited. We don’t publish horoscopes, personality readings, or compatibility takes — just astronomy + classical mythology, with public-domain art where available. See all 88 constellations.