Cancer.
Cancer
A crab sent by Hera to bite Heracles in mid-fight.
Jun 21 – Jul 22
Cancer · 506 sq° of sky, brightest star Al Tarf
Cancer (Cancer) is the faintest of the 12 zodiac constellations, covering 506 square degrees of the northern sky. Its brightest star is Al Tarf. The constellation hosts the Beehive Cluster (M44), one of the nearest open clusters to Earth.
Cancer is the faintest of the 12 zodiacal constellations, yet its mythological role is memorable: a minor but charming cameo in the story of Heracles.
During Heracles's second labour, the slaying of the Lernaean Hydra, the goddess Hera — who hated Heracles — sent a giant crab to harass him as he fought.
"The crab seized Heracles by the foot and was crushed for its trouble."
The crab seized Heracles by the foot and was crushed underfoot for its trouble. Hera, in gratitude for the attempt, placed it among the stars — a faint constellation befitting a small ally's small contribution.
Where this comes from.
Mythology
- Apollodorus Bibliotheca 2.5.2
- Aratus Phaenomena 497-503
- Hyginus Astronomica 2.23
Paintings & illustrations
- Hercules and the Hydra — Antonio del Pollaiuolo (c. 1475) · Wikimedia · PD
- Cancer — Sidney Hall (engraver), Jehoshaphat Aspin (text) (1825) · Wikimedia · PD
For fun · sources cited. We don’t publish horoscopes, personality readings, or compatibility takes — just astronomy + classical mythology, with public-domain art where available. See all 88 constellations.