A little constellation is called Lyra. It is one of the 48 listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy and is one of the present 88 constellations recognised by the International Astronomical Union. Lyra is occasionally known to as Vultur Cadens or Aquila Cadens ("Falling Vulture" or "Falling Eagle," respectively") because Lyra was sometimes shown on star charts as a vulture or an eagle carrying a lyre. Draco, Hercules, Vulpecula, and Cygnus all border Lyra, starting at its northernmost point. At the beginning of summer, just after midnight, Lyra is practically overhead in temperate northern latitudes. It is seen low in the northern sky during the same (therefore winter) months from the equator to around the 40th parallel south.
One of the brightest stars in the night sky, Vega is the brightest star in Lyra and forms a corner of the well-known Summer Triangle asterism. The Beta Lyrae variable class of binary stars has its prototype in Beta Lyrae. These two binary stars are so near to one another that material flows between them, giving them an egg-like form. Epsilon Lyrae is a complicated multiple star system that is sometimes referred to as the Double Double. The second-discovered and most well-known planetary nebula, the Ring Nebula, is likewise located on Lyra. |
History
The lyre of Orpheus is symbolised by Lyra in Greek mythology. It was claimed to be the first lyre ever made. It was made by Hermes from a tortoise shell and presented to Apollo as a trade. According to legend, even inanimate objects like rocks may be enchanted by Orpheus' singing. When he joined Jason and the Argonauts, his music was able to drown out the alluring tunes that the treacherous Sirens were singing to the Argonauts. Orpheus once wed a nymph named Eurydice. She stepped on a snake that bit her, killing her, as she ran away from Aristaeus' onslaught. Orpheus entered the Underworld to retrieve her, where Hades was enchanted by the music of his lyre. On the condition that he never once glance back until outside, Hades gave in and permitted Orpheus to bring Eurydice back. Unfortunately, Orpheus stumbled and turned around in the very end, leaving Eurydice trapped in the Underworld for all time. The rest of Orpheus' life was spent playing his lyre and wandering across the countryside, refusing every proposal of marriage from a woman. The demise of Orpheus is the subject of two opposing myths. Because he thought of Apollo as the greatest god rather than Dionysus, Orpheus allegedly failed to offer the required sacrifice to Dionysus. Then Dionysus dispatched his minions to dismember Orpheus. In a somewhat different account, Ovid claims that women banded together and flung stones and spears at Orpheus in retaliation for his refusal of marriage proposals. They were first enchanted by his music as well, but finally, their sheer volume and clamour drowned it out, and he was pierced by spears. Then, according to both traditions, Orpheus' lyre was set up in the sky by Zeus, and the muses buried his remains. Other cultures also regard Vega and the nearby stars as a constellation. The Arabs perceived the region that corresponded to Lyra as a vulture or an eagle diving with folded wings. Lyra is also referred to as King David's harp and King Arthur's harp (Talyn Arthur) in Wales. It was known as the Lyre of Zurah by the Persian Hafiz. Praesepe Salvatoris, or the Manger of the Infant Savior, is the name given to it. (Allen 1963) The Boorong people of Victoria refer to Lyra as the Malleefowl constellation in Australian Aboriginal astronomy. The Incas revered Lyra as an animal deity and gave her the name Urcuchillay. (D’Altroy 2002) |
Characteristics
Lyra is bounded to the south by Vulpecula, the east by Hercules, the north by Draco, and the west by Cygnus. With a surface area of 286.5 square degrees, it is the 52nd-largest of the 88 contemporary constellations. It dominates the northern sky throughout the summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and observers north of latitude 42°S can see the entire constellation for at least a portion of the year. Six stars make up its major asterism, while 73 stars overall are brighter than magnitude 6.5. A 17-sided polygon serves as the constellation's borders, which were established by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte in 1930. These borders' right ascension values in the equatorial coordinate system range from 18h 14m to 19h 28m, while their declination coordinates range from +25.66° to +47.71°. In 1922, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to shorten the constellation's name to "Lyr." (Russell 1922)
Lyra is bounded to the south by Vulpecula, the east by Hercules, the north by Draco, and the west by Cygnus. With a surface area of 286.5 square degrees, it is the 52nd-largest of the 88 contemporary constellations. It dominates the northern sky throughout the summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and observers north of latitude 42°S can see the entire constellation for at least a portion of the year. Six stars make up its major asterism, while 73 stars overall are brighter than magnitude 6.5. A 17-sided polygon serves as the constellation's borders, which were established by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte in 1930. These borders' right ascension values in the equatorial coordinate system range from 18h 14m to 19h 28m, while their declination coordinates range from +25.66° to +47.71°. In 1922, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided to shorten the constellation's name to "Lyr." (Russell 1922)
Deep-sky Objects
Messier 57 (M57) (NGC 6720) – Ring Nebula – Planetary Nebula
NGC 6745 – Irregular Galaxy
Messier 56 (M56) – Globular Cluster
Main stars - 5
Bayer stars - 25
Stars brighter than magnitude 3.00 - 1
Stars within 32 Ly - 3
Bordering
constellations
Meteor showers
Messier 57 (M57) (NGC 6720) – Ring Nebula – Planetary Nebula
NGC 6745 – Irregular Galaxy
Messier 56 (M56) – Globular Cluster
Main stars - 5
Bayer stars - 25
Stars brighter than magnitude 3.00 - 1
Stars within 32 Ly - 3
Bordering
constellations
- Draco
- Hercules
- Vulpecula
- Cygnus
Meteor showers
- Lyrids
- June Lyrids
- Alpha Lyrids