The Strongman

One of the most famous characters in the night sky takes a prominent position at this time of year -- Hercules, the strongman. His relatively faint constellation is in view in the east-northeast by the time it gets dark (as depicted in this illustration), and soars high overhead during the night. Its brightest star is Rasalgethi, but its most prominent feature is the Keystone, a pattern of four moderately bright stars that represents the strongman's body. Hercules also features M13, a globular cluster that contains hundreds of thousands of stars. Under dark skies, it looks like a small, fuzzy patch of light.