✧ Libra

  Libra is an asterism in Libra.

                          ⢀•⣄
                         ⡴⠋ ⠘⢦⡀
                       ⣠⠞⠁    ⠙⢦
                      ·⠧⠤⣄⣀⣀⡀  ⠈⠳⣄
                      ⡇     ⠉⠉⠉⠓⠒⠚•
                      ⡇          ⢰⠃
                      ⡇          ⡏
                      ⡇         ⣸⠁
                      ⡇        ⢀⡇
                      ⡇        ·
                      ⡇
                      ·
                      ·

  Type            Asterism
  Constellation   Libra
  Stars           6

  More information about Libra

  Libra is dim, and the clue to what happened to it is in the names of its
  two brightest stars, Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali, which are the
  Arabic الزبانى الجنوبي, "the southern claw", and الزبانى الشمالي, "the
  northern claw". They are the claws of Scorpius, which is what these
  stars were to the Greeks. Before the Greeks, the Babylonians had weighed
  the same stars as a set of scales, and the Romans went back to the
  scales again, so the name was lost for a few centuries and then
  recovered. The Greek reading is still sitting inside the star names,
  which is why they do not match the constellation they are in.

  Etymology
  From        Latin
  Reading     Libra
  Literally   the scales

  ┌ Babylon
  │ Zibanitu, the scales
  │
  ├ ✕
  │ the scales are dropped, and the stars become the scorpion's claws
  │
  ├ Greece · 2nd c.
  │ Chelai, the claws
  │ Χηλαί
  │
  ├ Rome · 1st c. BC
  │ Libra, weighed again
  │
  └ English · now
    Libra, with the claws left in the star names

  The evolution of Libra over time

  -50,000 years
                                                  Zubeneschamali
                                               ⢠•⡀
                                              ⢀⡎ ⠑⢆⡀
                                              ⡞    ⠑⢆⡀
                                             ⡸       ⠑⠦⡀
                             Zuben-el-Akrab ⣰⠃         ⠉⠦⡀
                                           ⢠⠧⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣉⣦⡀
                                           ⢸·             ⢠• Zubenelgenubi
                                           ⡜              ⡞
                                           ⡇             ⣰⠁
                                           ⡇            ⢀⠇
                                          ⢠⠇            ⡜
                                          ⢸            ⢸⠁
                                          ⢸           ⢀⠇
                                          ⡼           ⡜
                                          ⡇          ⠰· Brachium
                                          ⡇
                                         ⢀⠇
                                         ⢸
                                         ⠎·
                                         ·
  
  now
  
                                                ⡰• Zubeneschamali
                                              ⡠⠚  ⠓⣄
                                            ⢀⠜⠁     ⠳⣀
                                           ⡴⠁        ⠈⠱⡄
                                         ⡠⠊            ⠈⠣⡄
                         Zuben-el-Akrab ·⠓⠒⠤⠤⠤⠤⢄⣀⣀⣀⡀     ⠈⠢⡀
                                        ⢸          ⠈⠉⠉⠉⠑⠒⠒⠒⠪• Zubenelgenubi
                                        ⢸                  ⡸⠁
                                        ⢸                 ⢠⠃
                                        ⢸                ⢀⠏
                                        ⢸                ⡞
                                        ⢸               ⡸
                                        ⢸              ⢰⠃
                                        ⢸             ⢀⠇
                                        ⢸             ⡞
                                        ⢸             · Brachium
                                        ⢸
                                        ·
                                        ⡇
                                        ·
  
  +50,000 years
                                                    Zubeneschamali
                                                 ⡠•⢄
                                              ⣀⠔⠋  ⠈⠣⡀
                                           ⢀⡤⠊⠁      ⠈⢦
                                        ⢀⡤⠒⠁           ⠙⢄
                                      ⣠⠖⠁                ⠑⣄
                       Zuben-el-Akrab ·⠉⠉⠑⠒⠒⠦⠤⠤⣄⣀⣀        ⠈⠲⡀
                                      ⡇           ⠉⠉⠑⠒⠒⠢⠤⠤⣄⣀⣘⢢⡀
                                      ⢱                      ⢩• Zubenelgenubi
                                      ⢸                     ⢀⠎
                                      ⢸                    ⢀⠎
                                      ⠈⡆                   ⡎
                                       ⡇                  ⡜
                                       ⡇                 ⡼
                                       ⢱                ⡼⠁
                                       ⢸               ⡰⠁
                                       ⢸               · Brachium
                                       ⠈⡆
                                       ⢀·
                                       ⢸
                                        ·

  Over 50,000 years either way the longest side of this figure changes by 1%, and the furthest
  any of its stars travels is 1.8 degrees. Zuben-el-Akrab and HR 5794 drift the opposite way to
  the other 4, which travel together. Proper motion only: this is the shape changing, not the
  sky turning or the pole moving.

  curl 'skymap.sh/Libra/evolution.gif'

  where it is tonight:  skymap.sh/Libra