This week is a good time to see Hercules, the mythical hero who sits just south of Draco, (the celestial dragon discussed last week). At 9:30 p.m. look toward the east and nearly overhead to find Hercules, a brighter constellation and easier to recognize than Draco.
The main portion of Hercules is a somewhat squeezed square with extensions of stars off each corner of the square. To the west of Hercules sits Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, and to the east of Hercules is Lyra the Lyre, with its bright star Vega. South of Hercules is the underappreciated constellation Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder.
There are several astronomical objects of interest in Hercules, the most famous of which is the great globular cluster M13, which sits in the western side of the square.
M13 is visible to the naked eye on a very good night and easily visible through binoculars. It was the 13th object recorded by Charles Messier (1730-1817) in his great 18th-century catalog of celestial objects that could be mistaken for comets.
M13 is a vast collection of hundreds of thousands of stars grouped closely together in space. It is always a favorite photographic and visual quest for amateur astronomers.
