Auriga

Related Category: Constellations

(ôrī´gə) [Lat.,=the charioteer or wagoner], northern constellation traditionally represented as a man, possibly Vulcan, carrying a goat on his shoulder while driving a chariot. It lies E of Perseus and N of Gemini and Taurus. Auriga contains Capella, a bright, yellow giant star, and Epsilon Aurigae, an eclipsing binary in which a small star orbits a cool supergiant star. The constellation reaches its highest point in the evening sky in early February.