The figure in the sky: north is up, east is to the left. Larger dots are brighter stars.

Constellation

Libra

The shape: two stars between Virgo and Scorpius.

Libra, the Scales, is the only constellation of the zodiac that is not a living creature. Its stars once belonged to Scorpius – their Arabic names still mean “southern claw” and “northern claw” today.

The stars of the figure

From bright to faint. Brightness is given in magnitudes (mag): the smaller the number, the brighter the star.

Zubeneschamali · 2.61 mag
Zubenelgenubi · 2.75 mag

In the 3D model

In the 3D model, under “Explore”, the sky dome shows when the constellation Libra can be seen above Switzerland. “Constellations in 3D” shows how far apart its stars really are.

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