Britannica 11th · 11th edition

Aquarius

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OCR text aligned to scanned pagesVol. 2, pp. 239-2391910–1911

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This entry is linked to Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition. The cited range is Vol. 2, pp. 239-239.

AQUARIUS (the "Water-bearer" or "Cup-bearer"), in astronomy, the eleventh sign of the zodiac (?.«.), situated between Capricornus and Pisces. Its symbol is ==, representing part of a stream of water, probably in allusion to the fact that when the sun is in this part of the heavens (January, February) the weather is rainy. It is also a constellation mentioned by Eudoxus (4th century B.C.) and Aratus (3rd century B.C.); Ptolemy catalogued forty-five stars, Tycho Brahe forty-one, Hevelius forty-seven. C Aquarii is a well-defined binary, having both components of the fourth magnitude; it is probably of long period.