Kaus Australis

star

Also known as: Epsilon Sagittarii

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 23, 2026

Quick Summary

Kaus Australis, also known as Epsilon Sagittarii, is the brightest star in the constellation Sagittarius. Its name comes from Arabic and Latin, meaning "southern bow". Kaus Australis has a magnitude of 1.9. Sagittarius is a zodiacal constellation located in the southern sky, between Capricornus and Scorpius. The center of the Milky Way Galaxy is found within Sagittarius, specifically in the radio source Sagittarius A*. This constellation also contains the Lagoon and Trifid nebulas.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Sagittarius
The brightest star is Kaus Australis (from the Arabic for “bow” and the Latin for “southern,” respectively; it is also called Epsilon Sagittarii), with a magnitude of 1.9. Many of the stars are arranged in the prominent asterism called the Teapot.
Read More
The brightest star is Kaus Australis (from the Arabic for “bow” and the Latin for “southern,” respectively; it is also called Epsilon Sagittarii), with a magnitude of 1.9. Many of the stars are arranged in the prominent asterism called the Teapot.
Read More