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Capricornus
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Constellations Visible in Canadian Skies
Select a constellation from the list below to learn more:
Aquarius
Aquila
Aries
Auriga
Boötes
Cancer
Canis Major
Canis Minor
Capricornus
Cassiopeia
Cygnus
Gemini
Hercules
Hydra
Libra
Leo
Lyra
Orion
Perseus
Pisces
Sagittarius
Scorpius
Taurus
Ursa Minor and Ursa Major
Virgo
Legend
Capricornus is one of the oldest known constellations. The ancient Babylonians called it the Goat-Fish, and said it ruled the part of the sky from which the mighty Tigris and Euphrates rivers flowed. The Greeks also saw Capricornus as a creature that was half-goat and half-fish. They associated it with the god Pan, who had a human torso and face, but goat legs and goat horns. One story about Pan is that he jumped in the river Nile to escape the sea monster Typhon. The part of him below the water turned into a fish, while the rest of his body remained a goat.
Capricornus is a hard constellation to find — it doesn't have any bright stars, and it never gets very high in the sky. It's also the smallest of all the zodiacal constellations!
