Lyra

Uncommon card · No. 77634

Lyra (Latin for 'lyre', from Ancient Greek: λύρα; pronounced: LY-rə) is a small constellation in the Northern Sky. It is one of the 48 listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and is one of the 88 modern constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Lyra was often represented on star maps as a vulture or an eagle carrying a lyre, and hence is sometimes referred to as Vultur Cadens or Aquila Cadens ("Falling Vulture" or "Falling Eagle", respectively). Beginning at the north, Lyra is bordered by Draco, Hercules, Vulpecula, and Cygnus. Lyra is nearly overhead in temperate northern latitudes shortly after midnight at the start of summer. From the equator to about the 40th parallel south it is visible low in the northern sky during the same (thus winter) months. Lyra's brightest star, Vega, is one of the night sky's brightest stars and forms a corner of the Summer Triangle asterism. Beta Lyrae is the prototype of a class of binary stars and Epsilon Lyrae is a complex...

Read on Wikipedia · Image IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg), CC BY 3.0