Hydra

IAU Hydra chart

One of the 88 IAU constellations.

Etymology and History

The Greek constellation of the Water Snake is a derivative of the Babylonian constellation of the MUŠ-Dragon, a dog-headed creature with the body of a gigantic snake with front legs and wings.

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

• 

  the Babylonian version of the "Hydra and Corvus" super-constellation does not contain a cup or jar. visualized in Stellarium (drawing by Jessica Gullberg)

• 

  the lonely star in front of the dragon-head (Procyon) rised simultaneously with the faint stars of The Crab in ancient Babylon. Procyon and the head / foot of the dragon may serve as a replacement for Cancer

• 

  The Greeks introduced a Crater atop the snake. On the Farnese Globe, the body of the snake forms a vessel for Corvus and Crater.

• 

  In early modern time, some scholars extended the snake-body of Hydra beyond pi Hydrae and placed a second bird (Solitaire or Noctua) at this new end.

References

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