Libra

Authors: Susanne M Hoffmann, Youla Azkarrula

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star chart

Lib star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).

One of the 88 IAU constellations.

Etymology and History

The Greek constellation ...

Origin of Constellation

Almagest Χηλαί.

id	Greek (Heiberg 1898)	English (Toomer 1984)	ident.
	Χηλῶν ἀστερισμός.	Constellation of The Claws
1	τῶν ἐπ’ ἄκρας τῆς νοτίου χηλῆς ὁ λαμπρός	Stars on the tip of the southern claw: the bright one	alf Lib
2	ὁ βορειότερος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀμαυρότερος;	Stars on the tip of the southern claw: the star to the north of this and fainter than it	mu Lib
3	τῶν ἐπ’ ἄκρας τῆς βορείου χηλῆς ὁ λαμπρός	Stars an the tip of the northern claw: the bright one	bet Lib
4	ὁ προηγούμενος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀμαυρός.	Stars an the tip of the northern claw: the faint star in a,dvance of this	del Lib
5	ὁ ἐν μέσῃ τῇ νοτόῳ χηλῇ	The star in the middle of the southern claw	iot Lib
6	ὁ τούτου προηγούμενος ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς χηλῆς	The one in advance of this an the same claw	nu Lib
7	ὁ ἐν μέσῃ τῇ βορεύῳ χηλῇ.	The star in the middle of the northern claw	gam Lib
9	ὁ ἑπόμενος αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς χηλῆς	The one to the rear of this on the same daw	tet Lib
	ἀστέρερ ἡ, ὥν β’ μεγέθους β, δ’ ὅ, ε’ β.	{8 stars, 2 of the second magnitude, 4 of the fourth, 2 of tl;le fifth}
	Οἱ περὶ τὰς χηλὰς ἀμόρφωτοι	Stars araund Libra outside the constellation
10	τῶν βορειοτέρων τῆς βορείου χηλῆς β' ὁ προηγούμενος	The most advanced of the 3 stars north of the northern claw	37 Lib
11	τῶν ἐπομένων β ὁ νοτιώτερος	The southernmost of the rearmost 2 [ of these]	48 Lib
12	ὁ βόρειος αὐτῶν	The northernmost of them	xi Lib
13	τῶν μεταξὺ τῶν χηλῶν » ὁ ἐπόμευος	The rearmost of the 3 stars between the claws	lam Lib
14	τῶν λοιπῶν β καὶ προηγουμένων ὁ βόρειος.	The northernmost of the other 2 in advance f of the lauer 1	41 Lib
15	ὁ νότιος αὐτῶν	The southernmost of them	HR 5810
16	τῶν νοτιωτέρου τῆς νοτίου χηλῆς 7 ὁ προηγούμενος.	The most advanced of the 3 stars south of the southern claw	20 Lib
17	τῶν λοιπῶν καὶ ἐπομένωυ β ὁ βορειότερος.	The northernmost of the other, rear 2	39 Lib
18	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν	The southernmost of them	40 Lib
	ἀστέρες 9, ὧν γ’ μεγέθουρ ἄ, δ’ ἓ, ε β, ς ἂ.	9 stars, I of the third magnitude, 5 of the fourth, 2 of the fifth, 1 of the sixth

Convex Hull for the stars inside Chilai (CC BY Youla Azkarrula).

Stars within the Constellation Area

id	Label	IAU design.	description	Vmag
1	Zubeneschamali	HIP 74785	Constellation lines (Vertex)	2.62
2	Zubenelgenubi	HIP 72622	Constellation lines (Vertex)	2.75
3	Zubenelhakrabi	HIP 76333	Constellation lines	3.91
4	θ Librae	HIP 77853	Constellation lines (Vertex)	4.16
5	ι 1 Librae	HIP 74392	Constellation lines (Vertex)	4.54
6	δ Librae	HIP 73473	Constellation lines (Vertex)	4.93
7	ν Librae	HIP 73945	Constellation lines	5.2
8	μ Librae	HIP 72489	Constellation lines (Vertex)	5.31
9	η Librae	HIP 77060	Inside the hull	5.412
10	ξ 2 Librae	HIP 73133	Inside the hull	5.45
11	ζ 4 Librae	HIP 76126	Inside the hull	5.499
12	ζ 1 Librae	HIP 75730	Inside the hull	5.626
13	-	HIP 75352	Inside the hull	5.716
14	ξ 1 Librae	HIP 72934	Inside the hull	5.788
15	ζ 3 Librae	HIP 75944	Inside the hull	5.806
16	18 Lib	HIP 73310	Inside the hull	5.857
17	ι 2 Librae	HIP 74493	Inside the hull	6.066
18	ο Librae	HIP 75118	Inside the hull	6.143
19	28 Lib	HIP 75110	Inside the hull	6.17
20	26 Lib	HIP 74600	Inside the hull	6.172
21	-	HIP 77007	Inside the hull	6.295
22	22 Lib	HIP 73953	Inside the hull	6.404
23	30 Lib	HIP 75294	Inside the hull	6.48
24	-	HIP 74391	Inside the hull	6.49

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

• 
  Libra (two versions) in as-Sufi, Kitāb Ṣuwar al-kawākib al-thābitah, Mosul 1170, Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford,
• Libra in Bayer (1603).
  Libra in Bayer (1603).
• Libra in Flamsteed (1776)
  Libra in Flamsteed (1776)
• Libra in Bode (1782,1805)
  Libra in Bode (1782,1805)
• Libra in Jamieson (1822)
  Libra in Jamieson (1822)
• Libra zodiac sign, Jantar Mantar, Jaipur, India
  Libra zodiac sign, Jantar Mantar, Jaipur, India

References

• References (general)
• References (Babylonian)
• References (ancient Greco-Roman)
• References (medieval)