LYRA (" The

See also:

• HARP (Fr. harpe; Ger. Harfe; Ital. arpa)

Harp ")  , in astronomy, a constellation in the northern hemisphere, mentioned by Eudoxus (4th century B.C.) and Aratus (3rd century B.C.) . Ptolemy catalogued 10 stars in this constellation; Tycho Brahe 11 and Hevelius 17. a Lyrae or Vega, is the second brightest star in the northern hemisphere, and notable for the whiteness of its light, which is about loo times that of the sun . The name " vega " is a remnant of an Arabic phrase meaning " falling eagle," " Altair," or a Aquilae, is the similar remnant of " flying eagle." e Lyrae is a multiple star, separated by the naked eye or by a small telescope into two stars; these are each resolved into two stars by a 3" telescope, while a more powerful instrument (4") reveals three smaller stars between the two pairs. i3 Lyrae and R . Lyrae are short period variables . There is the famous ring or annular nebula, M . 57 Lyrae, in the middle of which is a very faint star, which is readily revealed by photography; and also the meteoric swarm named the Lyrids, which appear in April and have their radiant in this constellation (see METEOR) .