Description
LYRA means “lyre” in Latin and it represents the U-shaped instrument with strings, used in antiquity to accompany songs and recitations. According to Greek mythology, the constellation represents the lyre of Orpheus, which was thrown into a river when he was killed. The myth said Zeus sent an eagle to get the instrument and then placed it and Orpheus in the sky. Lyra contains Vega, the second brightest star in the northern hemisphere and fifth brightest star in the sky. It was first catalogued by the astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century.