According to ancient Greek mythology, the young god Hermes created the lyre from the body of a large tortoise shell (khelus) which he covered with animal hide and antelope horns. Lyres were associated with Apollonian virtues of moderation and equilibrium, contrasting the Dionysian pipes which represented ecstasy and celebration.
Beginning at the north, Lyra is surrounded by the Dragon Draco, the Greek hero Hercules, the Little Fox Vulpecula and Cygnus the swan.
α Lyr (Vega): with an apparent brightness of 0.03m this is the second brightest star of the northern hemisphere (after Arcturus) and the fifth brightest star in all; its spectral class is A0 V and it lies at a distance of only 25.3 ly. It was the first star to be photographed.
β Lyr (Sheliak): a group of eclipsing binaries is named after this variable star (3.45m, spectral class B8 II), the Beta-Lyrae-stars.
γ Lyr (Sulafat): the main star of this multiple star system is of magnitude 3.24m and spectral class B9 III
δ Lyr: a double star consisting of a blue-white star of mag. 6m and a semi-regular red giant varying between 4m and 5m.
ε Lyr: a well-known quadruple star, also called "the Double Double" because each of the two brighter components is itself a close double.
ζ Lyr: another double star which can be split using binoculars.
RR Lyr: lent its name to a class of pulsating variable stars, the RR Lyrae-stars.
Notable deep sky objects
M56: a rather loose globular cluster at a distance of approximately 32,900 ly with a diameter of about 85 ly. Its apparent brightness is 8.3m.
M57: also known as the "Ring Nebula", this is one of the best known of all planetary nebulae; its integrated magnitude is 8.8m; it is thought to be between 6,000 and 8,000 years old as we see it today.
Kuiper 90: also known as 17 Lyrae C (Gliese 747AB), a red dwarf system near 17 Lyrae, but really at 26 l.y. from the Sun. Period: 5 years, magnitude: 11.26 in V band.
Mythology
Older maps of the sky show a bird, especially a vulture (Vultur cadens), in this position, since in early times the constellation and its stars, were taken to resemble one. [link] As such, together with other constellations in the Zodiacal sign of Sagittarius (specifically, Cygnus, Aquila and Sagittarius itself), Lyra may be a significant part of the origin of the myth of the Stymphalian Birds, one of The Twelve Labours of Herakles.
By taking into account nearly parallel lines of fainter stars in the centre of the constellation, it appears to resemble a lyre, and consequently Lyra gradually shifted from being considered a vulture to being considered a lyre; for a while, it was even regarded as a vulture holding a lyre. Associated with its identity as a lyre, Lyra was considered to be the lyre used by Orpheus to produce music that charmed even Hades, and which was placed into the stars upon his death.
Popular culture
The constellation Lyra is featured in Gene Brewer's K-PAX trilogy, in which a patient in a Manhattan mental institution claims to be from the planet K-PAX in the constellation Lyra.
