The star I chose for my constellation project is Hercules.
Hercules Co-ordinates of Hercules Strongman is Right Ascension 17h, Declination +30°. Some stars in the Hercules constalation can be as far as 795 light years. Here is an example of the distance of some stars:
Star | Designation | Name or catalogue number |
Magnitude | Distance (light years) |
Spectral classification |
α Her | alpha Her | Rasalgethi (head of the kneeling one) |
+2.6 to +3.4 | 380 | Triple star system |
β Her | beta Her | Kornephoros (club-bearer) |
+2.8 | 150 | Yellow dwarf |
γ Her | gamma Her | 20 Her | +3.74 | 195 | Double star system |
δ Her | delta Her | Sarin | +3.12 | 79 | White giant |
Myth: The constellation Hercules is named after a superhero, the demigod Herakles, in Greek mythology. Herakles was the son of Zeus and a queen called Alkmene. This connection enraged Hera, the wife of Zeus, so she set about to destroy the boy. He survived, and later performed eight heroic acts and accomplished 12 extremely hard tasks. At the end of his life on earth he became an immortal god and Zeus placed his image in the sky as a constellation. As if to show how even the mighty sometimes fall, there is an impact crater on the Moon named after Hercules.
Because the star Rasalgethi3 means ‘head of the kneeling one’ and lies in the southern part, the constellation is often seen as a man kneeling head first in the sky. The interpretation as Herakles is 2,500 years old ago in this constellation was known as a kneeling man.