Lyra has 6 major stars, including Vega, which is the fifth brightest star. Lyra also contains two Messier Objects; the Aladfar, Sheliak, Sulafat, Vega, Xihe, and Chasoň.colorful Ring Nebula and M56 which is a globular cluster. Lyra belongs to the Hercules family of constellations, along with Aquila which we looked at a couple weeks ago. The six stars that are known in the Lyra constellation are Aladfar, Sheliak, Sulafat, Vega, Xihe, and Chasoň. |
Orpheus was known for his ability to charm even stones with his music, for his attempts to save his wife Eurydice from the underworld, and for being the harpist and companion of Jason and the Argonauts. Orpheus married the lovely maiden Eurydice. But after their wedding, as she walked with her bridesmaids, she was bitten by a snake and died. Crazed with grief, Orpheus wandered the hills of Greece until he was murdered. The Muses buried him, and Apollo placed his magical harp in the sky -- as Lyra. An alternate ending was that once Orpheus died, his lyre was thrown into the sea, where Zeus sent his eagle to retrieve the lyre and placed it in the sky. |