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Society Technology All portals From today's featured article A representative sketch of the constellation Auriga is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptol emy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Its name is the Latin word for "charioteer", associating it with various mythological charioteers including Erichthonius and Myrtilus. Auriga is most prominent during winter evenings in t he Northern Hemisphere, along with the five other constellations that have stars in the Winter Hexagon asterism. Because of its northern declination, Auriga is only entirely visible as far as 34 south. A large constellation, with an area of 657 square degrees, it is half the size of the largest constellation, Hydra. Its brightest star, Capella, is an unusual multiple star system among the brightest stars in the night sky. The resultant of its position near the winter Milky Way , Auriga has many bright open clusters in its borders, including M36, M37, and M 38, popular targets for amateur astronomers. In addition, it has one prominent n ebula, the Flaming Star Nebula. In Chinese mythology, Auriga's stars were incorp orated into several constellations, including the celestial emperors' chariots, made up of the modern constellation's brightest stars. (Full article...) Recently featured: Koala George Lansbury Priyanka Chopra Archive By email More featured articles... Did you know... From Wikipedia's newest content: Joachim Raff ... that the First Symphony by Joachim Raff (pictured), subtitled An Das Vat erland (To the Fatherland), won the first prize out of 32 entries at a competiti on in Vienna? ... that British manufacturer Karrimor's formidable reputation for ground-br eaking outdoor pursuit equipment was a direct result of its location in Lancashi re, and a CEO who was an avid climber and trekker? ... that the ancient Maya architectural complex of Tazumal, in El Salvador, contained some of the earliest known metal artefacts from Mesoamerica? ... that before the inception of the Latin Grammys, the Lo Nuestro Awards we re considered the Latin equivalent to the Grammy Awards?

... that Caroline Baird has won Paralympic gold medals in 100m, 200m, and 40 0m sprints? ... that the Guadalcanal American Memorial was established on 7 August 1992 as a tribute to the Americans and their Allies who lost their lives during the G uadalcanal Campaign? Archive Start a new article Nominate an article In the news Olinguito in tree North and South Korea agree to reopen the Kaesong Industrial Region, which w as shut down in April due to tensions between the two countries. The Smithsonian announces the discovery of the olinguito (pictured), the fir st new carnivoran species found in the Americas in 35 years. Egypt declares a state of emergency as security forces kill hundreds of demo nstrators supporting former president Mohamed Morsi. The Indian submarine INS Sindhurakshak sinks in Mumbai following onboard exp losions. After sixteen years as a fugitive, mob boss Whitey Bulger is convicted of ra cketeering and involvement with eleven murders. Recent deaths: Rosala Mera More current events... On this day... August 17: Independence Day in Indonesia (1945) Damage from the 1999 earthquake at Izmit, Turkey 986 Byzantine Bulgarian Wars: The Bulgarians defeated the Byzantine forces at the Gate of Trajan near present-day Ihtiman, with Byzantine Emperor Basil II bar ely escaping. 1807 Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat, the world's first commercially s uccessful paddle steamer, went into service on the Hudson River in New York. 1945 Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed the independence of Indonesia, ig niting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire. 1980 Two-month-old Australian Azaria Chamberlain was taken from her family's campsite at Uluru by a dingo, for which her mother would be convicted of murder . 1999 A 7.5 Mw earthquake struck northwestern Turkey (damage pictured), killi ng over 17,000 people and leaving approximately half a million people homeless. More anniversaries: August 16 August 17 August 18 Archive By email List of historical anniversaries It is now August 17, 2013 (UTC) Reload this page Today's featured picture Kris The kris is an asymmetrical dagger from Southeast Asia famous for its distinctiv e wavy blade, although many have straight blades as well. A kris can be divided into three parts: bilah (blade), hulu (hilt), and warangka (sheath) Photograph: Chris Woodrich; edits: JJ Harrison Recently featured: African buffalo skull Archive More featured pictures... Other areas of Wikipedia Monarch butterfly Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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