In August, track down the constellation of Hercules, the hero. It is well placed from the northern hemisphere at this time of year, but finding it requires a little bit of celestial sleuthing owing to the fact that the constellation contains no really bright stars. Once seen, however, it seems to dominate its patch of the night sky.
The chart shows the view looking west-south-west from London on 25 August at 10pm BST. The constellation’s most recognisable feature is the four stars making up the keystone shape that represents Hercules’s body.
The constellation was one of the 48 constellations defined by Ptolemy in the second century. In the myths of classical antiquity, Hercules was Zeus’s son. Immensely strong but murderously temperamental, Hercules was taught responsibility by the Oracle of Delphi, who set him 12 tasks. The completion of these tasks absolved his crimes and elevated him to hero status.
When tracking him down, bear in mind that the constellation is large, spanning the fifth-largest area of all the 88 modern constellations.
From the southern hemisphere, Hercules appears in the north during the evening. The farther south, the lower the constellation appears. From Sydney, Australia, for example, Hercules just rises above the northern horizon by mid- to late evening.
