Editing Sagittarius (constellation) (section)

== Mythology ==
[[File:Sidney Hall - Urania's Mirror - Sagittarius and Corona Australis, Microscopium, and Telescopium.png|thumb|300px|Sagittarius as depicted in ''[[Urania's Mirror]]'', a set of constellation cards published in London c. 1825. The Terebellum is seen in the back of the centaur]]
The Babylonians identified Sagittarius as the god [[Nergal]], a centaur-like creature firing an arrow from a bow.<ref name="Rogers" /> It is generally depicted with wings, with two heads, one panther head and one human head, as well as a scorpion's stinger raised above its more conventional horse's tail. The Sumerian name [[Pabilsaĝ|Pabilsag]] is composed of two elements&nbsp;– Pabil, meaning 'elder paternal kinsman' and Sag, meaning 'chief, head'. The name may thus be translated as the 'Forefather' or 'Chief Ancestor'.<ref name="White 2008 p155" /> The figure is reminiscent of modern depictions of Sagittarius.

=== Greek mythology ===
In [[Greek mythology]], Sagittarius is usually identified as a [[centaur]]: half human, half horse. However, perhaps due to the Greeks' adoption of the Sumerian constellation, some confusion surrounds the identity of the archer.<ref name=Ridpath />  Some identify Sagittarius as the centaur [[Chiron]], the son of [[Philyra (mythology)|Philyra]] and [[Cronus]], who was said to have changed himself into a horse to escape his jealous wife, [[Rhea (mythology)|Rhea]], and tutor to [[Jason]]. As there are two centaurs in the sky, some identify Chiron with the other constellation, known as [[Centaurus]].<ref name=Ridpath /> Or, as an alternative tradition holds, that Chiron devised the constellations Sagittarius and Centaurus to help guide the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece.<ref>Richard H. Allen (1899), ''Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning'', G. E. Stechert, p. 353 {{OCLC|30773662}}</ref>

A competing mythological tradition, as espoused by [[Eratosthenes]], identified the Archer not as a centaur but as the [[satyr]] [[Krotos|Crotus]], son of [[Pan (god)|Pan]], who Greeks credited with the invention of archery.<ref name=Ridpath /><ref>Theony Condos, Ph.D. (Red Wheel/Weiser 1997) ''Star Myths of the Greeks and Romans: A Sourcebook'', p. 186 {{ISBN|978-1609256784}}.</ref> According to myth, Crotus often went hunting on horseback and lived among the [[Muses]], who requested that [[Zeus]] place him in the sky, where he is seen demonstrating archery.<ref name=Ridpath />

The arrow of this constellation points towards the star [[Antares]], the "heart of the scorpion", and Sagittarius stands poised to attack should Scorpius ever attack the nearby [[Hercules (constellation)|Hercules]], or to avenge Scorpius's slaying of [[Orion (constellation)|Orion]].<ref>Milton D. Heifetz (Cambridge University Press 2004) ''A Walk Through the Heavens: A Guide to Stars and Constellations and Their Legends'', p. 66 {{ISBN|978-0521544153}}.</ref>

=== Terebellum ===
[[File:Terebellum asterism.png|160px|thumb|Terebellum asterism]]
On the west side of the constellation, [[Ptolemy]] also described the [[Asterism (astronomy)|asterism]] '''Terebellum''' consisting of four 4th magnitude stars, including the closest and fastest moving member, [[Omega Sagittarii]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Allen |first1=Richard H. |title=Star names: their lore and meaning |year= 1963 |publisher=Dover Publications |isbn=((0486210790)) |edition=Dover |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Topics/astronomy/_Texts/secondary/ALLSTA/Sagittarius*.html |access-date=13 October 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/sagittarius.html#terebellum |title = Terebellum |website = Star Tales (online edition) |access-date = 2025-04-24}}</ref>

=== Astrology ===
{{Main|Sagittarius (astrology)}}

{{as of|2002}}, the Sun appears in the constellation Sagittarius from 18 December to 18 January. In [[tropical astrology]], the Sun is considered to be in the sign Sagittarius from 22 November to 21 December, and in [[sidereal astrology]], from 16 December to 14 January.<ref>{{Cite web| publisher=Herong Yang| title=Sagittarius - The Archer, The Ninth Zodiac Sign| url=http://www.herongyang.com/Astrology_Horoscope/Sagittarius_Archer_Zodiac_Sign.html| language=en| accessdate=2022-12-22}}</ref>
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