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Libra



Abbreviation: Lib
Genitive: Librae
Right Ascension: 15.21 hours
Declination: -15.59 degrees
  Libra, the Scales, can be found between Scorpius and Virgo, Libra is the age old symbol of justice, harmony and balance.

It is interesting that to the Italians, French, Germans, Anglo-Saxons, and Romans the constellation was the scales.

The early Greeks did not recognize Libra as the scales, but included it as the claws of the scorpion. Credit is usually given to the Romans for creating this constellation as a sign of the autumnal equinox. The constellation first appeared in the Julian calendar in 46 B.C. The constellation appears again in 43 B.C. in which a comet appeared during the same year as Caesar's assassination, the writing indicates the comet took his soul to heaven, this comet may very well be the same one seen in 531, 1106 and 1680; its next apparition will be 2255.

However, the Egyptians, Hebrews, Persians and Syrians all had it on their planetspheres and called the constellation the 'weigh beam' or scale beam. The Arabs followed the greeks including it as part of the scorpions claws.

  Bright Stars | Deep Sky | Other Deep Sky | Variable Stars | Double Stars
 

Best Known Stars

(Yale Bright Star Catalog)
 
Common Name
or Bayer Number 1
RA DEC Magnitude 2
ZUBENESCHAMALI 15.00:17.00:0.42 -9.00:22.00:58.54 2.61
ZUBENELGENUBI 14.00:50.00:52.71 -16.00:2.00:30.42 2.75
SIG LIB 15.00:4.00:4.21 -25.00:16.00:55.12 3.29
UPS LIB 15.00:37.00:1.46 -28.00:8.00:6.15 3.58
GAM LIB 15.00:35.00:31.57 -14.00:47.00:22.40 3.91
IOT LIB 15.00:12.00:13.28 -19.00:47.00:30.26 4.54
   
 

Deep Sky Objects

(PAS Catalog)
   
 

Other Deep Sky Objects

(Saguaro Astronomy Club Catalog)
  Only Objects less than 10.0 Mag.
 
Object R.A. Dec. Object Type 3 Mag. Uranometria Tirion
NGC 5897 15 17.4 -21 01 GLOCL 08.6 334 21
   
 

Variable Stars

(General Catalog of Variable Stars)
  Only Objects <= 8.0 magnitude
 
GCVS ID R.A.
(hh mm ss.ss)
Dec.
(deg mm ss)
Variable Type 4 Mag. Min Mag. Max
ES Lib 15.00:14.00:3.10 -12.00:51.00:22.00 EB/KE 7.57 7.10
FX Lib 15.00:55.00:23.10 -14.00:8.00:12.00 GCAS 4.96 4.74
FY Lib 14.00:55.00:2.60 -12.00:14.00:15.00 SRB 7.78 7.06
FZ Lib 15.00:16.00:39.90 -8.00:57.00:55.00 LB 7.24 6.73
GG Lib 15.00:29.00:17.80 -23.00:42.00:41.00 SR: 6.93 6.83
GX Lib 15.00:20.00:46.30 -6.00:25.00:54.00 RS 0.08 7.31
GZ Lib 15.00:26.00:44.70 -17.00:16.00:11.00 ACVO 6.71 6.66
HI Lib 15.00:6.00:16.70 -13.00:48.00:35.00 ACVO 0.00 7.48
HL Lib 14.00:27.00:50.10 -22.00:14.00:22.00 ELL: 7.02 6.93
HM Lib 15.00:24.00:50.00 -24.00:59.00:47.00 SR: 7.63 7.42
del Lib 14.00:58.00:17.80 -8.00:19.00:18.00 EA/SD 5.90 4.91
sig Lib 15.00:1.00:8.20 -25.00:5.00:12.00 SRB 3.46 3.20
   
 

Double Stars

(Saguaro Astronomy Club Catalog)
  Only Objects <= 8.0 magnitude
 
Name R.A.
(hh mm.m)
Dec.
(deg mm)
Mag 5 Sep 6 PA 7 Tirion Uranometria
SHJ 179 14 25.5 -19 58 6.4, 7.3 35.10 296 14 332
BU 106 14 49.3 -14 09 5.8, 6.7 1.90 335 14 288
SHJ 186 14 50.8 -16 01 2.9, 5.3 231.00 314 14 288
LAL 123 15 33.1 -24 29 7.5, 7.5 9.10 300 21 334
STF 1962 15 38.7 -08 47 6.5, 6.6 11.90 189 14/ 15 289
BU 122 15 39.9 -19 46 7.6, 7.8 1.80 223 14/ 15 334