Uttara Āṣāḍhā (उत्तर आषाढा)

Uttara Ashadha, the 21st nakshatra, as depicted in temples.

The 20th and 21st nakshatra mapped to the star chart (Stellarium). Together, these two asterisms form "The Invincible" in modern Sagittarius. Animated GIF by SMH 2025 for WGSN. Uttara A. is the latter (eastern, left here).

Uttara Āṣāḍhā (उत्तर आषाढा), The Second Invincible, is an Indian name, used by the Indian Vedic tradition. Most of these names are roughly 3000 years old. They pre-date Hinduism but were taken over by it. Typically identified with ζ and σ Sagittarii.

Etymology and History

Name Variants

• Uttara Ashadha
• Vaiśvadeva

Origin of Constellation

Ashadha means The Invincible and refers to two asterisms in Sagittarius. The Latter (Uttara A.) is depcted as a group of two stars that are typically taken for ζ and σ Sagittarii but they actually form part of a recognizable quadrilateral which is not really logical. Yet, the identification is certain because of given coordinates for σ Sagittarii in the 2nd millennium; whether it was a different asterism BCE, is, of course, not certain.

Mythology

mnemonic tales and cultural significance

References

• References (general)