The Constellation Lyra, the Harp
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Lyra
It seems the sky is filled with mythical people and animals. But now
meet the one and only musical instrument to grace the sky: Lyra, the
Lyre! A lyre is a small harp, small enough to fit in your lap. The
brightest star in Lyra, Vega, is
placed in the handle of the harp. A small rectangle of four
faint stars outline the harp itself.
Vega is a very bright star (the fifth brightest in the whole sky) and
is very close. Lyra is also home to one of the brightest, loveliest planetary nebulae, the
Ring Nebula.
The stories that we have from ancient Greece tell us that the lyre was
invented by Hermes as a child by placing strings on a shell.
He traded the lyre to Apollo, who then gave it to his son, Orpheus, a
great musician.
The Lyrid meteor shower happens in April each year. The meteors in the Lyrid meteor shower seem to shoot outward from the constellation Lyra.
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