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Lyra (The Lyre)
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Constellations Visible in Canadian Skies
Select a constellation from the list below to learn more:
Aquarius
Aquila
Aries
Auriga
Boötes
Cancer
Canis Major
Canis Minor
Capricornus
Cassiopeia
Cygnus
Gemini
Hercules
Hydra
Libra
Leo
Lyra
Orion
Perseus
Pisces
Sagittarius
Scorpius
Taurus
Ursa Minor and Ursa Major
Virgo
Legend
Orpheus was a gifted musician and would often play his Lyre. His wife, Eurydice, was killed by a poisonous snake and taken to the underworld. Orpheus, overcome with grief, followed Eurydice to Hades to convince the gods to send her back. Enchanted by his beautiful music, the gods gave Orpheus one chance to save Eurydice — he could lead her out of Hades by playing his lyre, but could not look back to see if she was actually following him. As he was leaving the underworld, Orpheus took a quick look at Eurydice and she was sucked back into Hades forever.
Vega, the 5th brightest star in the sky, is a well-known part of the "Summer Triangle", seen in the summer months, along with Deneb and Altair. In about 13,000 years, Vega will be our pole star rather than the North Star, Polaris.
