Eridanus, the river:
Eridanus is one of the longest and largest constellations in the
sky. The constellation represents nearly every major river known
to humankind. To the Babylonians it was the Euphrates, to the Egyptians,
the Nile. It has also been the Rhine, the Ebro, the Huang He, and
the Rhone. Eridanus begins next to the bright star Rigel, which
represents the foot of Orion. It then meanders its way through the
sky. Eridanus originally ended with the star Acamar, which is the
last bright star visible to people living in northern latitudes.
As sailors began to travel to the Southern Hemisphere, the constellation
was continued to the star Achernar.
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