Sky spy: Mythical Hydra snakes across sky

Let's try for a somewhat more challenging sight than normal, the constellation Hydra the Water Snake. Hydra is one of the largest yet least recognized constellations. It is an ancient constellation that comes down to us from myth and legend. It stretches nearly completely across the sky when fully risen, but it is often not recognized due to its faint stars.

Hydra actually resembles what it is supposed to portray. The best time to see Hydra extending across the eastern half of the sky is in the evening from 9 to 11 this time of year. It is completely risen by midnight.

Look toward the south later tonight after enjoying Orion the Hunter and Canis Major the Greater Dog.

A little east of them is Hydra. Hydra's head is a misshapen small pentagon of five stars. It will be exactly due south at 11 and slightly more than 60 degrees above the southern horizon.

The long body of Hydra stretches from its head in the south to its tail in the southeast.

A must see in Hydra is the bright star Alphard. It can be viewed in fairly light-polluted conditions and has a distinct pale orange color. Alphard sits in the front one-fourth of Hydra, somewhat east and south of its head.

Its luminosity is 400 times that of the sun, and it is 40 times larger than the sun.

Alphard would be more spectacular if it weren't so far - 175 light years from the Earth. To the east and south of Alphard trails the body and tail of the great snake in the sky.

Contact Tim Hunter at skyspy@azstarnet.com