Starwatch: how to spot Hercules the hero, jewel of the summer skies

Hercules, the hero, is a beautiful part of the summer night sky. However, it can be a little difficult to find. The map shows what you can see looking high in the south from London at 11pm on Monday. The view will be very similar all week.

The best way to find Hercules is to first look for the bright star Vega, which is in a constellation called Lyra. Then, find the orange star Arcturus in the constellation Boötes. Hercules is located between these two bright stars.

Look for four medium-sized stars that form a square shape that isn't quite straight. This is called the 'keystone' and it represents the body of Hercules. From this shape, you can imagine the hero's arms and legs. Hercules is a very large constellation; it's the fifth biggest out of the 88 constellations we know today.

In old Greek stories, Hercules (whose Roman name was Heracles) was the son of Zeus. To control his strong and sometimes difficult personality, a king named Eurystheus gave him 12 difficult tasks. These tasks sent him to faraway places and even to the underworld.

Hercules was first listed as a constellation over 2,000 years ago by Ptolemy. If you are in the southern hemisphere, you can see it low in the northern sky during the evening.