Mysterious Eridanus - river of life
Updated: Feb 17
The last days I did some researches - my writings about the upcoming sidereal Astrology did inspire me, to research and write a "timeless" post about this truly mysterious long constellation...

This is the official astronomical constellation map and as such in reference to the celestial equator.
In Astrology we use a coordinate system in reference to the ecliptic...
The constellation starts at the star Kursa (beta - upper corner 5h - -5degrees), close to the star Rigel of Orion. In ancient times, Eridanus was believed to be directly linked to Orion and others did link it even to the very bright star Canopus of Carina (brightest star of the ancient constellation Argo Navis - now in "ship parts")...
Eridanus ends at the star Achernar (alpha) at roughly 20 degrees sidereal Aquarius - here not only the river of life flows but also the water out of the Aquarian urn, both into the "open mouth" of Pisces Austrinus...
So, it's a pretty long constellation and it takes some "curves and winds" as well...
Eridanus is south of the ecliptic and therefore not a zodiac constellation, yet it's one of the 15 equatorial constellations - meaning if imagining the Earth equator going out and out and out....
It's a constellation with many named stars but what really is striking, there are 32 stars found with orbiting planets and some of those planets seem to be pretty big as well (near Jupiter's size)....
Not one "Messier object" in Eridanus though - Charles Messier (1730 - 1817) was a very active Astronomer who is credited with many discoveries and his catalogue of 110 objects (mainly clusters and some nebulae) is still in use as the "Messier catalogue"... He was known as a "comet-hunter" and made the catalogue to make it easier to distinguish between "transiting" and "fixed" objects...
So, it's interesting because of what is NOT there - but why??? - Well, I guess after you read the stories below and then what I did find out, you'll be in "wonder" too ;-)
The story that is usually associated with Eridanus is as follows:
Phaeton as Helios' (Apollo) son asked many times to steer the chariot with the Sun through the sky. After many time receiving a "no" as an answer, one day he was allowed to do and reminded by his father to go the "beaten tracks" and to be careful,