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Scholars believe that astrologers later added the crab to the myth in order to have the Twelve Labors of Hercules reflect the Twelve Signs of the Zodiac. While it is difficult to associate all of Hercules' labors with the zodiac, it is true that the crab figured in Hercules' Second Labor, and is in fact the Second Sign of the Zodiac. In any case, apparently for following its masters command and sacrificing its life, the crab was awarded with a heavenly home. But, because Cancer failed to defeat Hercules, the gods did not give Cancer bright stars to mark the constellation.

Galileo was the first to study its stars with a telescope. He counted over forty members, putting to rest the idea of its nebulosity and introducing the idea of star clusters. There are over three hundred stars in the Beehive. It has been estimated that over a hundred of its stars are brighter than our Sun, and in fact if the Sun were a member of this group, it would be a very modest member indeed, at about 10.9 magnitude.

The name comes from the Latin "cancer," means crab. Cancer joined the dreaded Hydra in battle against Hercules. It was only a bit part, but one which secured its immortality.

The swamps of Lerna was home of the Hydra, an enormous water snake with nine heads (one of which was immortal), and with breath that would kill on contact. With the help of Athene, Hercules located the monster's lair, and the ensuing struggle was a standoff. When one head was sliced off, another appeared in its place. Then at Hydra's plea, a giant crab emerged from the swamp and bit into Hercules' foot. Hercules promptly killed the animal and then cut off the Hydra's immortal head, killing it as well. He then dipped his arrows in the Hydra's blood. The slightest scratch from one of these arrows would bring instant death to his enemies.

M44 (NGC 2632) is better known by the name the Beehive Cluster, or the Latin equivalent, Praesepe, which not only means a hive but also a crib, or manger. This is a bright open cluster clearly visible to the naked eye on a dark enough night, and best appreciated with binoculars or small scope. One of the largest clusters, its 1.5 degree size is equivalent to three full moons end-to-end. Its distance is calculated at between 520-590 light years. This grouping is so large it was well-known in antiquity, when it was thought to be a nebula. The cluster often served to predict the weather: if not crystal clear inclement weather might be on the way.

In 1531 Halley's Comet was discovered in this part of the sky.

In the summer of 1895, all of the planets, except Neptune, congregated here--and extremely rare event.

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The Crab plays a minor role in the Labors of Hercules (Heracles in Greek). Hercules was the son of Zeus, the chief of the Greek gods, by a mortal woman of great beauty named Alcmene.
The Jealousy of HeraZeus' wife was the goddess Hera. Hera hated Hercules because of Zeus' infidelity and also because Zeus had allowed Hercules to suckle at her breast while she was sleeping. The divine milk of the goddess made Hercules immortal, but earned him the eternal wrath of Hera which dogged through his life.

The Labors of HerculesAt one point Hera cast a spell over Hercules, so that in confusion he slaughtered his own children. In atonement the gods required him to spend twelve years in service to King Eurystheus of Mycenae. The King set Hercules difficult tasks to perform, one task after another. The tasks were so difficult that indeed they appeared to be impossible, but the great Hercules accomplished them nevertheless. These tasks have become known as the Labors of Hercules.

The Battle Against the HydraThe second task that Hercules had to accomplish was to slay the Hydra. The Hydra was a multi-headed snakelike monster. Hercules grappled with it and slashed at it with his sword, but as soon as Hercules cut off one head of the monster, two more grew back. Hercules was able to defeat the Hydra only with the help of his charioteer Iolaus who burned at the stump with a torch as each head was cut off. Iolaus' burning torch prevented the heads from growing back, so that Hercules at the end could slaughter the monster.

The Crab Scuttles InThe Crab was sent by Hera to distract Hercules in the midst of the struggle with the Hydra. The Crab scuttled out from the swamp to bite at Hercules feet with its claws, but Hercules crushed the Crab with his heel. The goddess Hera rewarded the Crab by placing it among the stars.

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Symbol

The modern symbol for Cancer is the crab, but it has been represented with various types of creatures, usually those live in the water, and always those with an exoskeleton, decapods in particular.
In the Egyptian records of about 2000 BC it was described as Scarabaeus (Scarab), the sacred emblem of immortality, although Peter Jensen claimed this sign had been a tortoise in Babylonia, and that it was so figured there and in Egypt 4000 BC.
In the 12th century, an illustrated astronomical manuscript shows it as a water beetle. Albumasar writes of this sign in the work published in 1489 as a large crayfish. Bartschtshitius and Stanislaus Lubienitzki, in the 17th century, described it as a lobster.

As the constellation vaguely resembles a crab, it may, together with the Hydra constellation, form the basis of the myth of the Lernaean Hydra, one of The Twelve Labours of Hercules, with which it is associated. Many people debate whether its a crab or lobster.[who?]
Cancer is said to have been the place for the Akkadian Sun of the South, perhaps from its position at the winter solstice in very remote antiquity. But afterwards it was associated with the fourth month Duzu (June-July in the modern western calendar), and was known as the Northern Gate of Sun.

Showing but few stars, and its lucida being less than a 4th-magnitude, it was often considered "Dark Sign", quaintly described as black and without eyes. Dante, alluding to this faintness and position of heavens, wrote in Paradiso:
Thereafterward a light among them brightened,So that, if Cancer one such crystal had,Winter would have a month of one sole day.

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Cancer (Latin: crab, symbol , Unicode ♋) is one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. Cancer is small and dim, and to many it does not resemble a crab. It lies between Gemini to the west and Leo to the east, Lynx to the north and Canis Minor and Hydra to the south.

Cancer, the Crab, plays a minor role in the Twelve Labors of Hercules. While Hercules was busy fighting the multi-headed monster, Hydra, the goddess Hera, who did not like Hercules, sent the Crab to distract him. Cancer grabbed onto the hero's toe with its claws, but barely breaking the rhythm of his great battle with Hydra, Hercules crushed the crab with his foot. Hera, grateful for the little crustacean's heroic but pitiful effort, gave it a place in the sky. The crab did not win, so the gods didn't give the crab bright stars. Cancer's brightest star is Acubens. It is a whitish color.

Etymology

The early Sanskrit name of this constellation was Karka and Karkata, in Telugu "Karkatakam", Kannada "Karkataka" or "Kataka" , Tamil Karkatan, and the [[Sinhaljfg ese languageSinhalese]] Kagthaca.The later Hindus knew it as Kulira, from Κολουρος (Koloyros), the term originated by Proclus.
Aratus called it Καρκινος (Karkinos), which Hipparchus and Ptolemy followed, the Carcinus of the Alfonsine tables being Latinized form of the Greek word. Eratosthenes extended this as Καρκινος, Ονοι, και Φατνη: the Crab, Asses, and Crib.
Litoreus, Shore-inhabiting, is from Manilius and Ovid. Astacus and Cammarus appear with various classic writers. Nepa is from Cicero's De Finibus and the works of Columella, Plautus, and Varro - all signifying Crab, Lobster, or Scorpion.
Kircher said that in Coptic Egypt it was Κλαρια, the Bestia seu Statio Typhonis, the Power of Darkness. Jérôme Lalande identified this with Anubis, one of the Egyptian divinities commonly associated with Sirius.

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Cancer

Feminine, Moon, Water sign , cardinal sign.

Praesepe

Καρκινος, Ονοι, και Φατνη

Al Tarf : نهاية

Acubens : الزبانى



चंद्र

Asellus Borealis
Asellus Austral

巨
蟹

鬼宿