Profile / Characteristics
| English translation | Latin declination and pronunciations | Size/ °² | # stars (visible) |
| the Hercules | Hercules – HER-kyuh-leez Herculis – HER-kyuh-liss | 1225 | 245 |
Main Star (brightest one):
| Designation | HIP number | name in IAU-CSN | brightness |
| α Her | HIP 84345 | Rasalgethi | 3.30 mag (V) |
Our (modern) Explanation
Hercules is one of the 48 constellations cataloged by the second-century astronomer Ptolemy, but as a nameless Kneeler which had been his name for ancient Greek astronomers since Aratus in the 4th century BCE. It is speculated whether it had a Mesopotamian predecessor but this is currently unproven.
Ancient Globes
Farnese Globe
Kugel Globe
Mainz Globe
Ancient Lore & Meaning
Aratus
Reference:
English translation by Douglas Kidd (1997).
Aratus: Phaenomena, Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries, Series Number 34
Pseudo-Eratosthenes
the kneeler presses one foot on the head of the snake (Draco), his right hand with a club, in his left hand he carries a lion skin. the constellation depicts him fighting with Draco
References:
French translation by:
Jordi Pàmias i Massana and Arnaud Zucker (2013). Ératosthènes de Cyrène – Catastérismes, Les Belles Lettres, Paris
English version in:
Robin Hard (2015): Eratosthenes and Hyginus Constellation Myths with Aratus’s Phaenomena, Oxford World’s Classics
Early Modern Interpretation
Contemporary
As one of their first tasks in the 1920s, the newly founded International Astronomical Union (IAU) established constellation standards. The Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte was assigned to the task to define borders of constellations parallel to lines of declination and right ascension. They were accepted by the General Assembly in 1928. The standardized names and abbreviations had already been accepted in 1922 and 1925.
