1). In classical
mythology,
Hercules, corresponding to the Greek
Heracles, was the son of
Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. He was made to perform twelve great tasks, called the
Twelve Labours of Hercules.
2). Named after the mythological hero,
Hercules is the fifth largest of the 88 modern
constellations. It was also one of
Ptolemy's 48 constellations. It has no
first magnitude stars, but contains M13, the brightest globular cluster in the northern hemisphere.