Lacerta

Lacerta, the Lizard, carries themes of quick adaptation, survival through inconspicuousness, and the ability to thrive in transitional spaces between larger territories. Its influence suggests a nature that is quick, resourceful, and capable of regeneration after loss.

The lizard is a creature of walls, crevices, and borders: it thrives in the spaces between. Lacerta teaches the spiritual value of the liminal, the between-places where transformation happens. The lizard's ability to drop its tail and regenerate represents the capacity to release what has been seized (even a part of oneself) in order to survive and grow anew.

Lacerta has no classical mythology. It was created by Johannes Hevelius in 1687 to fill a small gap between Cygnus, Andromeda, and Cassiopeia. Hevelius reportedly chose a lizard because the available space was too small for any larger creature.

Other astronomers proposed alternative figures for this space (including a scepter and a shield), but Hevelius's lizard prevailed.

The lizard appears in various mythological traditions as a solar creature (in some African and Australian traditions) and as a symbol of dreaming and prophecy (in Aboriginal Australian cultures).

Created by Hevelius in 1687. Despite its obscurity, Lacerta contains BL Lacertae, the prototype of the BL Lac objects (blazars), which are among the most energetic phenomena in the universe: supermassive black holes with jets pointed nearly directly at Earth. The discovery of BL Lac's true nature in 1968 opened a new chapter in extragalactic astronomy.

Lacerta is best observed during autumn evenings (September through November) in the Northern Hemisphere. It lies between the bright constellations Cygnus and Cassiopeia, occupying a region of the Milky Way that is rich in faint stars. Its individual stars are all of 4th magnitude or fainter, making it a challenge to identify.

Look for a small zigzag pattern of faint stars between the W of Cassiopeia and the body of Cygnus the Swan. Dark skies are essential. Visible only from northern latitudes.