The Constellation Hercules

Now let’s visit the celestial incarnation of the greatest of classical heroes, Hercules. With the famous “Keystone” of four stars and a pair of splendid globular clusters, the constellation Hercules is a must-see even for casual stargazers in June through August. Hercules lies high overhead in the north and well over the northern horizon in the southern hemisphere, so its sights are accessible to stargazers all over the world.

Dating back to the 2nd century, Hercules is one of Ptolemy’s original 48 constellations. But this star group was known earlier, much earlier than even classical Greek civilization. The Greeks first knew these stars as Engonasin, the “kneeling one”, and indeed these stars do suggest the form of a kneeling man bent by toil and fatigue.
Eratosthenes first linked this kneeling celestial figure to Hercules. And why not? Hercules, though blessed with immortality and unmatched strength, was burdened with the famous Twelve Labours he undertook as penance for slaying his own sons in a fit of delusional rage set upon him by Hera, who blighted most of the life of the mighty hero. Hera hated Hercules because he was the offspring of her husband, Zeus, and the wise and beautiful mortal ...