Hydra hercules5/7/2023 ![]() Hydra is one of the 15 equatorial constellations. Hydra belongs to the Hercules family of constellations, along with Aquila, Ara, Centaurus, Corona Australis, Corvus, Crater, Crux, Cygnus, Hercules, Lupus, Lyra, Ophiuchus, Sagitta, Scutum, Sextans, Serpens, Triangulum Australe and Vulpecula. The three-letter abbreviation, adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1922, is Hya. The genitive form of Hydra, used in star names, is Hydrae (pronunciation: /ˈhaɪdriː/). In English, the constellation is known as the Water Snake or the Female Water Snake. The constellation name Hydra is pronounced /ˈhaɪdrə/. The neighboring constellations are Antlia, Cancer, Canis Minor, Centaurus, Corvus, Crater, Leo, Libra, Lupus, Monoceros, Puppis, Pyxis, Sextans and Virgo. The constellation lies in the second quadrant of the southern hemisphere (SQ2) and can be seen at latitudes between +54° and -83°. It occupies an area of 1303 square degrees in the night sky. Hydra is the largest of the 88 constellations. Notable deep sky objects in Hydra include the open cluster Messier 48, the globular cluster Messier 68, the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy ( Messier 83), the Hydra Cluster of galaxies, the Porpoise Galaxy (NGC 2936), Tombaugh’s Globular Cluster (NGC 5694), the Ghost of Jupiter nebula, and the spiral galaxy ESO 510-G13. Sometimes it is taken to represent the water snake from the myth about the crow that tried to trick the god Apollo by blaming the snake for its tardiness in fetching the god some water. It represents the Lernaean Hydra from the Greek myth of Heracles’ Twelve Labours. The constellation was first catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. Hydra’s head is located south of the constellation Cancer and its tail lies between Centaurus and Libra. It lies in the southern celestial hemisphere, stretching across 1303 square degrees of the southern sky. Hydra, the water snake, is the largest constellation in the sky.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |