Every day, raising our eyes to the sky, we have the opportunity to observe one of the most beautiful creatures of nature - the stars. Since ancient times, stars have attracted people. Looking at these heavenly lights, our ancestors tried to explain their origin and looked for something earthly in them. Their imagination was connected by a cluster of stars and painted a variety of earthly objects, animals and heroes. So the names of the various constellations appeared - Libra, Cassiopeia, Cancer, Leo and so on. On a hot June night, looking up, we can observe how the ancient hero Hercules knelt down. This constellation cannot be recognized.
Location in the sky
Hercules is a constellation that is visible to us in spring and summer. In June, it is located almost at the highest point in the celestial sphere. Clusters of stars adjacent to it are Bootes and Lyra. It is easy to recognize Hercules by its central part - the trapezoid, which is formed by four stars. This part of the figure is most often called the torso of a great hero. All the inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere can observe this constellation ; in the South it is only partially visible. This combination of heavenly lights occupies a rather large area and it consists of about two hundred stars that a person can observe without the help of any technique. Another feature of Hercules is that it contains the apex of our Sun. Apex is the point to which the velocity vector of our native star is directed.
Discovery story
Hercules is a constellation whose history goes back to antiquity. In the 3rd century BC e. the ancient Greek astronomer Arat finished his work under the name “Appearances”, in which he speaks of a figure conveying the image of a suffering man on his knees. Therefore, the constellation Hercules was called Kneeling. The same name was indicated in the catalog of the celestial bodies of Claudius Ptolemy, which was called "Almagest." But two centuries before, the Greeks already knew about this constellation and called it Hercules, and the Romans - Hercules, the son of the great thunder god Zeus and the mortal woman Alkmena.
The mythical origin of the name
Greek mythology tells us about the great hero Heracles, who was a demigod. During his life on Earth, he did many bold deeds. These include the salvation of people and the destruction of terrible monsters that threatened everyone. The most striking legend about the adventures of this hero is the story of 12 exploits. He tells us that the stepmother of Hercules, the great goddess Hera, did not like him very much. Because of her, he committed a great sin and had to atone for him by serving at Eurystheus. He tried to entrust Hercules with impossible tasks, and the hero passed with honor and endured. At the end of Hercules' life, the gods decided that he was worthy of becoming one of them. So in heaven appeared another constellation, which to this day in its place.
The brightest star
Hercules is a constellation, the brightest star of which is Korneforos, or β Her. On a scale of stellar brightness, it has an indicator of 2.8 magnitudes. In fact, this is not one, but two stars gravitationally interconnected. Its name from ancient Greek translates as a carrier of a club. The brightness of this star is 175 times greater than the brightness of the Sun. The distance between Korneforos and Earth is 148 light years. Another sign of Beta Hercules is that she has a visual companion. It is invisible to the human eye and only spectroscopic analysis tells us about its existence.
Biggest star
The largest star known to us in the constellation Hercules is the star of UW Her. It is located on the northeastern peak of the so-called torso of Hercules or the Cornerstone. The closest to it is π Her. UW Her is a variable star with a long period of change in its brilliance, which is 100 days. During this time, it can change its brightness by 0.9 magnitude (8.6-9.5).
Hercules Alpha
Hercules is a constellation whose main star is Ras Algeti, or α Her. It has 3.1-3.9 magnitude. This difference is due to the fact that it tends to change its brilliance over a period of 90 days. Alpha is second in brightness after Korneforos. It is triple and consists of a red supergiant and a smaller star, which is also divided into a white-yellow dwarf and a yellow giant. Ras Algeti in Arabic means “head of the Kneeling”, as it is in the head of Hercules. The distance from the Sun to this star is 380 light years.
The Pearl of Hercules
In Hercules, there is a cluster of stars, which is striking in its beauty. It is an adornment of the entire Northern Hemisphere. This is the so-called M13, or the Great Globular Cluster of Hercules. It was discovered in 1714 by E. Halley. It is located in the west of the Keystone, between η and ζ Her. To see this miracle of nature, any instrument is suitable, be it binoculars or a small telescope, and if you are lucky, you can see without any instruments at all.
M13 has the shape of a ball, it is unusually bright. From the center to the edges, the light of the cluster gradually fades. As mentioned above, you can observe it with anything, but the better the quality of the instrument, the more you can consider. It has in its composition a couple of hundred thousand stars. The distance from M13 to the Earth is 25 thousand light years. Under a detailed examination of the cluster, one can notice the so-called Propeller region, which does not have a single star. Scientists have not yet been able to figure out how this formation arose, and its nature remains unsolved.
Messier 92
A lot of surprising and mysterious fraught with the constellation Hercules. The stars in it are amazing and multifaceted. For example, the second, no less interesting globular cluster M92, or Messier 92. His discoverer was E. Bode, who in 1777 drew attention to him. But in 1781, not knowing about the first discovery, as it was in those days, it was rediscovered by S. Messier. He introduced M92 into the catalog, and it is named after him. The distance from Earth to M92 is 26 thousand light years. Under favorable conditions, it can be seen with the naked eye. It is smaller in size than M13, but this cluster is also an adornment of the Northern Hemisphere and Hercules.
Cluster NGC 6229
If you look from M92 in the North-West direction, you can stumble upon yet another cluster of stars NGC 6229, the second designation is GCL 47. It can also be observed by anyone with a simple technique. This globular cluster was discovered by W. Herschel in 1787. Its apparent magnitude is 9.4 magnitudes. The original edition of the New General Catalog contains data on NGC 6229.
Tortoise Nebula
The planetary “Turtle” nebula, or NGC 6210, is located in the northeastern part of Hercules. V. Ya. Struve discovered it in 1825. It is located at a distance of 6.5 thousand light years from us. To see the beauty of this object, you need a telescope. Through its glass, a person opens with extraordinary beauty and overflows of a greenish-blue color. On a scale of stellar magnitudes, "Turtle" has an indicator of 8.8 magnitudes. It is interesting that this nebula contains very little nebular gas, which is usual for such celestial objects. The center of NGC 6210 is a star, it also formed it.
Thus, people from ancient times knew about the accumulation of stars in the sky, and often they were called differently than they are now. If you ask how the constellation Hercules was called before, the documents found will show that his former name is Kneeling. This hero was magnified in the eyes of a simple man, for which he was elevated to the pantheon of the gods. Modern scholars are also scrutinizing this fascinating constellation. They learned a lot of interesting things, for example, that the largest star in the constellation Hercules is UW Her. But not only she is the subject of admiration in this cluster, which makes us again and again look far into the sky.