THE HYDRA CONSTELLATIONDavid Rodriguez

1st period

• THE FORMAL NAME FOR THIS CONSTELLATION IS

• ANOTHER NAME ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CONSTELLATION IS “ WATER SNAKE “ AND ALSO THE “SEA SERPENT”

LOCATION• The Hydra constellation stretches across the

sky from 8 hours 11.5 minutes at its western border to 15 hours 2.5 mins at its eastern edge and from north 6 degrees 39 mins declination to south 35 degrees 39.5 mins declination.

• 1303 square degrees in the night sky.

• This constellation is the largest of the 88 constellations.

• The neighboring constellations are: Antlia Cancer Canis Minor Centaurus Corvus Crater Leo Libra Lupus (corner) Monoceros Puppis Pyxis Sextans Virgo.

VISIBLE• The hydra constellation is visible in DFW in the month of April.

• Hydra isn’t a part of either the zodiacs or circumpolar but Hydrus is part of the southern circumpolar sky

• Despite its size, Hydra contains only one reasonably bright star, Alphard designated Alpha Hydrae. It is an orange giant of magnitude 2.0, 177 light-years from Earth. Its traditional name means "the solitary one”. Gamma Hydrae is the second brightest star in Hydra. It has an apparent magnitude of 2.993 and is 133.8 light years distant from Earth . Zeta Hydrae is the third brightest star in Hydra constellation, with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.10. . The right ascension of Alphard is 9 hours 27 mins 35 while the declination is −08° 39′ 30.969. The beta hydraes right ascension is 11 hours 52 mins 54.521 and the declination is −33° 54′ 29.25. Next is zeta hydrae which is right ascension 13 hours 18.9 mins and the declination -23° 10.2‘.

• there are 2 stars that are below 3 magnintude

GREEK/ ROMAN MYTHOLOGY

• This myth is for both the Greek and Roman myths. In the myth of the hydra constellation the hydra was a nine headed dragon that included one immortal head. It lived near the town of Lerna and it ravaged the land and killed the cattle. Heracles went to cave where it lived and shot flaming arrow in to the cave to smoke it out when the dragon was flushed out Heracles started to smash its heads one by one with his club. Each time he smashed a head two would grow back in its place. While Heracles was fighting the dragon he was also distracted by a crab which crawled out of the swamp and attacked his foot. Heracles killed the crab and Hera an enemy of Heracles place it among the stars as a constellation which is know as cancer. Heracles instructed Iolaus to burn the neck stump of every head Heracles cut off to prevent the heads from re- growing.

OTHER MYTHS

• the constellation Hydra is associated with the water snake on which Apollo’s crow blamed its tardiness. The god had sent the bird, represented by the constellation Corvus to fetch him some water in a cup. The cup is associated with the constellation Crater. The crow was distracted by a fig tree and stopped to feast. When it finally returned to Apollo, it said the water snake was to blame, but the god saw through the bird’s lie and punished it by placing it into the sky. Apollo also turned the water snake and the cup into constellations.

FACTS ABOUT CONSTELLATION

• Hydra is the longest constellation in the sky and is also the largest in terms of area. It is so long that it takes more than six hours to rise completely.

• The biggest constellation is Hydra which extends over more than 3% of the night sky.

• It lies in the southern hemisphere, stretched across 102.5° with its head located south of the constellation Cancer and tail between Centaurus and Libra.

http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/Hydra.html

http://umich.edu/~lowbrows/guide/hydra.html

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAYQjB1qFQoTCNKx0rnF9scCFQpVkgod0A8FKA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.botproductions.com%2Fstellar%2Fhydra.html&psig=AFQjCNFbOGgCANaaUZJ3-VJpt-E7Qz6fKA&ust=1442320700018859

http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/hydra-constellation/

http://www.astronomytrek.com/10-interesting-facts-about-the-constellations/

http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/hydra-constellation/