Constellation | |
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Abbreviation | Her |
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Genitive | Herculis[1] |
Pronunciation | /ˈhɜːrkjʊliːz/, genitive /ˈhɜːrkjʊlɪs/ |
Symbolism | Heracles |
Right ascension | 17h |
Declination | +30° |
Quadrant | NQ3 |
Area | 1225 sq. deg. (5th) |
Main stars | 14, 22 |
Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 106 |
Stars with planets | 15 |
Stars brighter than 3.00m | 2 |
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 9 |
Brightest star | β Her (Kornephoros) (2.78m) |
Messier objects | 2 |
Meteor showers | Tau Herculids |
Bordering constellations | Draco Boötes Corona Borealis Serpens Caput Ophiuchus Aquila Sagitta Vulpecula Lyra[1] |
Visible at latitudes between +90° and −50°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of July. |
Hercules is a constellation named after Hercules, the Roman mythological hero adapted from the Greek hero Heracles. Hercules was one of the 48 constellations listed by the second-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. It is the fifth-largest of the modern constellations and is the largest of the 50 which have no stars brighter than apparent magnitude +2.5.