Hercules (constellation)
| Hercules | |
 
| |
| 'Abbreviation | Her |
| Genitive | Herculi |
| Meaning in English | Heracles, the hero |
| Right ascension | 17 h |
| Declination | +30° |
| Visible to latitude | Between +90° and −50° |
| Best visible | July |
| Area - Total | Ranked 5th 1225 sq.deg. |
| Number of stars with apparent magnitude < 3 | 0 |
| Brightest star - Apparent magnitude | Ras Algethi (α Her) 3.1m Variable star>(var.) |
| Meteor showers |
|
| Bordering constellations | |
Named after the Roman version of the Greek mythological hero Heracles, Hercules is the fifth largest of the 88 modern constellations. It was also one of Ptolemy's 48 constellations.
| Table of contents |
|
2 Notable deep sky objects 3 Mythology |
Notable features
It has no first magnitude stars.
Notable deep sky objects
Hercules contains two of the most conspicuous globular clusters:
M13, the brightest globular cluster in the northern hemisphere, and M92.
Hercules (Roman, Heracles in Greek mythology) was the demigod son of Zeus and Alcmene.
He was, arguably, the greatest of the mythical Greek heroes, best known for his superhuman strength. Many stories are told of his life, including the story of The Twelve Labors of Hercules.
Mythology