The Hydra was a powerful monster and lives with the stars. The constellation Hydra is the largest of the eighty-eight constellations in the night sky. Its brightest star, Alphard, is known as the "Heart of the Hydra". Its magnitude is one point ninety-eight or two. The constellation is not one of the brightest in the sky, but it occupies a space of one thousand three hundred and three square degrees in the night sky, between the latitude of fifty-four degrees and minus eight-three degrees. It takes him a full seven hours to get up at night. There are two meteor showers associated with the Hydra hydrids, Alpha Hydrids and Sigma Hydrids. ("April Constellations.", "Hydra, a Constellation for Autumn.", "Hydra Constellation.") The mythological Hydra was much scarier than the constellation. He lived near Lerna in Argolis, regularly terrorizing the countryside. The many heads he possessed regularly ate livestock and any people he found. Eight of the nine Hydra heads could be destroyed by weapons, however, two more would grow back in place of the destroyed one. The ninth head was golden and indestructible, it could not be harmed by any weapon known to man. He was the child of Echnida, a monster half-woman, half-serpent, and Typhon, who had a hundred heads. Alternatively, he was the child of the Styx, the river, and the Titan, Pallas. The grandparents of the Hydra would be Uranus, the master of the heavens, and Gaea, Mother Earth, invincible. In turn, the parent of Uranus would be Mother Earth. The parent of Mother Earth would be Chaos. ("Hydra.") The Hydra had lived several hundred thousand years by the time Heracles came to kill it. The slaying of the Hydra was the second labor of Heracles in two...... middle of paper ......it is one of the oldest and most original constellations that can exist, dating back to Ptolemy and the times of the ancient Greeks. .(Interview)Works Cited"April Constellations." - Discover the Constellations on Sea and Sky. Np, and Web. February 17, 2014. Hamilton, Edith and Steele Savage. Mythology: Timeless tales of gods and heroes. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1942. Print “Hydra, A Constellation for Autumn.” Hydra, a constellation for autumn. Np, and Web. February 17, 2014.<http://www.rasnz.org.nz/Stars/Hydra.htm>"Hydra Constellation". Guide to the constellations. Np, and Web. February 17, 2014. “Hydra”. Hydra. Np, and Web. February 17, 2014. McMackin, Will. Personal interview. February 7, 2014