Auriga
The pentagon of Auriga and its sixth-brightest star, Capella. It is the inventor of the chariot, cradling a young goat in his arms.
Science
The scienceThe chief star Capella is the sixth-brightest star in the night sky, glowing yellow like a "little sun," though it is in fact a binary of two yellow giant stars orbiting each other, both far larger and brighter than our Sun. The name Capella means "little she-goat" in Latin, referring to the young goat the charioteer holds on his left shoulder. Elnath, forming one vertex of the pentagon, is a star shared with Taurus, serving as a bridge that links the two constellations.
Mythology
How it became a constellationAuriga is said to depict Erichthonius, king of Athens. Son of Hephaestus, the smith god, he was lame in the legs, but by inventing the four-horse chariot (the quadriga) he could move about freely. The gods honored his ingenuity by raising him to the sky as a constellation. The she-goat cradled in his arms is Amalthea, the sacred goat that nursed the infant Zeus, whose horn became the "horn of plenty" that overflows with all things.
Observing Guide
how to observe🔭 How to find it
On a winter evening, high near the zenith, look for a large pentagon of stars centered on a bright yellow star — that is Auriga, and the yellow lead star is Capella. Raise your gaze straight up from Orion, or look to the northwest from Gemini, and the pentagon comes into view. One corner of the pentagon is shared with Elnath, the horn-tip star of Taurus, so the two constellations touch.
✨ What to look for
Lying over the Milky Way, Auriga is famous for a lineup of three bright open clusters. Inside the pentagon, M36 (small and compact), M37 (the largest and most splendid) and M38 (cross-shaped) sit in a row, so it is fun to hop from one to the next with binoculars or a small telescope for comparison. M37 in particular, the richest and most beautiful in stars, is reckoned the finest of the three.
📍 Where to see it (US · Canada · UK · Australia)
From Canada and the UK, Auriga is circumpolar — golden Capella (declination +46°) never sets — and from the US it swings nearly overhead on winter evenings (December–February), remaining visible from late autumn into spring. Capella's brightness makes it easy to find even in the city. From Australia, Auriga and Capella barely clear the northern horizon on summer evenings and are easily missed.