Capricornus (The Goat-Fish)

Capricorn is associated with the Greek god Pan, known by his lewd behavior and the invention of the pan flute. Some say he was a satyr, a man with goat legs, cloven hooves and horns.
He received honors when Rhea sent the sea monster Typhon to destroy the gods of Olympus. Pan plunged into a river and tried to become a fish to escape, but he only managed to get a failed transformation. When he got to land again, Typhon had already dismembered Zeus. To scare the monster, Pan made a shriek which allowed Hermes –the Messenger of the gods- get the members of Zeus again. Together, Hermes and Pan reassembled Zeus, whom rewarded Pan with a place among the stars.

Capricornus is located in southern hemisphere between the parallels 10° and 30°. The sun crosses this constellation during the end of January and the firsts days of February. It is visible from May to October in both hemispheres culminating in the meridian in the end of July and the beginning of August, lower and closer to the horizon from the northern hemisphere and almost in the zenith in the south. It is located 40° south the celestial equator.
This constellation doesn’t stand out precisely because of the bright stars, it has some of them and some globuslar cluster.
It limits to the north with the constellation of Aquarius and Aquila; to the east with Sagittarius; to the south with Microscopium and Pisces Austrinus; and to the west again with the constellation of Aquarius.


The main stars forming Capricornus are:
• Algedi: or Alpha Capricorni. Its name comes from the Arabic, meaning “goat”.
• Dabih: or Beta Capricorni. Its name comes from the Arabic, meaning “killer”, which refers to the old Arab tradition where a goat was sacrificed.
• Nashira: or Gamma Capricorni. Its name comes from the Arabic, meaning “bearer of good news”.

• Deneb Algedi: or Delta Capricorni. Its name comes from the Arabic, meaning “the tail of the goat”.