Hydra (constellation) facts for kids
| Constellation | |
List of stars in Hydra
|
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| Abbreviation | Hya |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Hydrae |
| Pronunciation |
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| Symbolism | the sea serpent |
| Right ascension | 8–15 |
| Declination | −20 |
| Quadrant | SQ2 |
| Area | 1303 sq. deg. (1st) |
| Main stars | 17 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
75 |
| Stars with planets | 16 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 2 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 4 |
| Brightest star | Alphard (α Hya) (1.98m) |
| Messier objects | 3 |
| Meteor showers |
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| Bordering constellations |
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| Visible at latitudes between +54° and −83°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of April. |
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Hydra is a constellation that has parts in the northern sky and parts in the southern sky. It is the biggest constellation. It represents a water snake. The astronomer named Ptolemy listed Hydra when he made a list of 48 constellations. It is also one of the 88 modern constellations that were made by the International Astronomical Union.
Even though Hydra is a very big constellation, it only has one bright star. This star is named Alphard. Alphard means "the solitary one" in Arabic. Hydra actually has little to identify it exept for a cluster of stars at its head.
Images for kids
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Hydra and surrounding constellations, from Urania's Mirror (1825).
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Planetary nebula Abell 33 captured using ESO's Very Large Telescope.
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Elliptical galaxy NGC 3923.
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Ancient globular cluster NGC 6535.
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NGC 2865 is relatively youthful and dynamic, with a rapidly rotating disc full of young stars and metal-rich gas.
See also
In Spanish: Hidra (constelación) para niños
