Hercules

Her star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).

One of the 88 IAU constellations.

Etymology and History

The Greek constellation ...

Origin of Constellation

Almagest Ἐγγόνασι.

id	Greek (Heiberg 1898)	English (Toomer 1984)	ident.
	Τοῦ ἐν γόρασιο ἀστερισμός.	Constellation of Hercules
1	ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς	The star on the head	alf Her
2	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ ὅμου παρὰ τὴν μασχάληη	The star on the right shoulder by the armpit	bet Her
3	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ βραχίουος.	The star on the right upper arm	gam Her
4	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ ἀγκῶνος	The star on the right elbow	kap Her
5	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ ὤμου	The star on the left shoulder	del Her
6	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ βραχίουος	The star on the left upper arm	lam Her
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ ἀγκῶνος	The star on the left elbow	mu Her
	τῶν ἐν τῷ ἀριστερῷ καρπῷ ν’ ὁ ἐπόμευος	The rearmost of the 3 stars in the left wrist	omi Her
	τῶν λοιπῶν β ὁ βόρειος.	The northernmost of the other 2	nu Her
	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν.	The southernmost of them	xi Her
	ὁ ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ πλευρᾷ.	The star in the right side	zet Her
	ὁ ἐν τῇ ἀριστερᾷ πλευρᾷ	The star in the left side	eps Her
	ὁ τούτου βορειότερος ἐπὶ τοῦ γλουτοῦ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ,	The one north of the latter, on the left buttock	59 Her
	ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκφύσεως τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηροῦ.	The one on the place where the thigh joins the same [buttock]	61 Her
	τῶν ἐν τῷ ἀριστερῷ μηρῷ τριῶν ὁ προηγούμεσος;	The most advanced of the 3 in the left thigh	pi Her
	ὁ τούτῳ ἐπόμευος	The one to the rear of this	69 Her
	ὁ ἔτι τούτῳ ἑπόμενος.	The one yet further to the rear of this	rho Her
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ γόνατος.	The star on the left knee	tet Her
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ ἀντικρημίου.	The star on the left shin	iot Her
	τῶν ἐν τῷ ἀριστερῷ ἀκροποδίῳ ἢ ὁ προηγούμενος.	The most advanced of the 3 stars in the left foot	74 Her
	ὁ μέσος τῶν τριῶν.	The middle one of the three	77 Her
	ὁ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶν.	The rearmost of them	82 Her
	ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκφόσεως τοῦ δεξιοῦ μηροῦ.	The star on the place where the right thigh joins [the buttock]	eta Her
	ὁ βορειότερος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ μηρῷ.	The star north of it in the same thigh	sig Her
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ γόνατος	The star on the right knee	tau Her
	τῶν ὑπὸ τὸ δεξιὸν γόνυ β’ ὁ νοτιώτερος.	The southernmost of the 2 stars under the right knee	phi Her
	ὁ βορειότερος αὐτῶν.	The northernmost of them	ups Her
	ὁ ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ κυήμῃ.	The star in the right lower leg	chi Her
	ὁ ἐπ’ ἄκρου τοῦ δεξιοῦ ποδὸς ὁ αὐτός ἐστι τῷ ἐπ’ ἄκρῳ τοῦ κολλορόβου	The star on the end of the right leg is the same as the one on the tip of the staff	-
	χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἀστέρες κη, ὧν γ’ μεγέθουςξ, δ’ ὕ, εβ,ς γ	Not counting the latter, 28 stars, 6 of the third magmtude, 17 of the fourth, 2 of the fifth, 3 of the sixth
	ὁ ἐκτὸς αὐτοῦ ἀμόρφωτος	Star outside this constellation
	ὁ νοτιώτερος τοῦ ἐν τῷ δεξιῷ βραχίουι.	The star south of the one in the right upper arm	ome Her
	ἀστὴρ ἂ μεγέθους ἐ	l star of the fifth magnitude

References

• References (general)
• References (Babylonian)
• References (ancient Greco-Roman)
• References (medieval)