(long) Hydra, and (small) Crater

Event Date: October 27th

Time: 7:00 AM

Brief

There is a very "long" constellation, which as a result, takes about 8 hours to clear the horizon in its entirety: Hydra.  Considering that this constellation represents a sea serpent, this makes sense.  It is south of the celestial equator and consists of dim stars which can easily get buried in atmospheric pollution.  Alphard, at a magnitude just a little better than 2nd, is the brightest to see of Hydra at this hour of this day.  The others are 3rd and 4th magnitude.  Near the serpent, is the cup Crater, also consisting of dim stars.  To learn more about the myths and findings of these two constellations, read this: 

As for their appearance before looking at those, here they are with stick figures, rising in the east.  During spring months, these two are evening constellations,

click on image to enlarge: courtesy of Starry Night Pro Plus, version 6.4.3, by Simulation Curriculum Corp.

Detailed

   I often wonder how some constellations such as Hydra are imagined, taking into account how much sky that it crosses.  To compare, Crater only takes a small amount of sky, as shown above.  Some other constellations take even less space, while others may stretch as much Hydra (i.e. Eridanus, the River),  Whether a lot of space or very little, we can be blessed to have a sky with enough space for 88 constellations for us to appreciate at all times!  Can you name them all?  Even if I studied them, I would probably struggle to do so.  Once you find a book or website to learn them all, try looking at the sky without the aid of stick figures (mobile app, for example).  "Purists". so to speak, enjoy trying to reform their own images of star patterns, yet that is a story for another day.  Long, short, big or small, enjoy the constellations, and any patterns that you can form in your head.