The Constellation Aquila, the Eagle
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Aquila

Aquila, the Eagle, is one of many beautiful birds in the night sky. (Can you name all the others? There are 6 more "real" birds and one mythical bird!) A straight line of three stars is part of the wings of the eagle. The center and brightest of these three stars is the bright, white Altair. Altair is one of the three stars forming the Summer Triangle.

To the ancient Greek people, Aquila was the servant of Zeus who held the god's thunderbolts and performed errands for him. In Korea and Japan, some stories tell of the bright star Vega as the Weaving-Princess star who marries a shephard, the star Altair.

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Altair

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Aquila

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Cygnus

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