largest constellation

The largest of the 88 constellations is Hydra, the Water Snake. The area of sky designated as Hydra is 1302.84 square degrees, which is 3.16% of the whole sky. The next largest constellation is Virgo, at 1294.43 square degrees. Given its name, it is not surprising that the Water Snake is a long thin constellation, winding a quarter of the way around the sky. Most of it is just south of the celestial equator. Its total length is over 100!. One legend associated with Hydra says it is the many- headed monster killed by Hercules. Despite its size, Hydra is not a distinct pattern. It is largely made up of rather faint stars and is not easy to find. Its brightest star is Alphard, a second magnitude orange giant, 130 light years away.