Saturday In The Sandbox

Good afternoon, and happy Saturday. I hope you are well and happy as the week draws to a close, and ready to solve a riddle. Tom and I are already talking “bonus riddle”, so get your name on the list if you aren’t there already. I know it seems like we ran a bonus riddle just last week, but tempus fugit, people. August is already more than half gone.
So… you ready to pounce on this week’s puzzle? On your mark — get set — cogitate!
Image from Ridpath’s Star Tales
You’ll be looking to the real world for today’s answer.
That’s not the only place you’d find it.
While there are some extremely interesting individuals in today’s answer, we almost always think of it in a group.
He-e-e-e-e-e-ere kitty, kitty, kitty. Image by Andy Carvin.
Some parts of today’s answer definitely grabbed our ancestor’s attention.
It’s been part of our culture since … well … since we’ve had a culture.
Today’s answer, in comparison with others of its kind, is fairly large.
Awwwwww!
This made the short list in the second century.
It is host to eleven known “family” groups.
You’ll find today’s answer in Greek and Roman mythology.