the.com/lyra
a tiny harp that talked its way into becoming the constellation of poetry itself.
means lyra is a small stringed instrument from ancient greece, plucked by hand, and also the constellation named after it.
from greek myth says hermes made the first lyre from a tortoise shell and cow gut strings, gave it to apollo, who gave it to orpheus — whose playing was so good zeus stuck the instrument in the sky when orpheus died.
orpheus's instrumentthe constellation supposedly is his actual lyre
vega lives herefifth brightest star in the night sky
root wordgave us lyric, meaning words sung to it
for instance
vega — lyra's brightest star, 25 light-years away, once the north star
ring nebula — m57, a dying star's smoke ring inside lyra, 2,000 light-years off
his dark materials — philip pullman named his heroine lyra belacqua after the constellation