An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. The Water Serpent. The longest and largest constellation in the sky, stretching almost 7 hours of right ascension, and covering over 1300 square degrees, from → Canis Minor to → Libra. It lies south of → Cancer, → Leo, and → Virgo, and is best seen in the northern hemisphere during the months of February through May. Its brightest star is → Alphard. Abbreviation: Hya; Genitive: Hydrae.
   

2. The third satellite of → Pluto discovered in 2005 by astronomers using the → Hubble Space Telescope images. Also called Pluto III (P3). It has an estimated diameter of between 60 and 170 km and an → orbital period of 38.2 days. It orbits the → barycenter of the → Pluto-→ Charon system at a distance of about 65,000 km.

Etymology (EN): Hydra, from L. hydrus, from Gk. hydra “water-snake;” cf. Av. udra- “otter;” Skt. udrá- “otter;” O.H.G. ottar “otter;” O.E. otor, ottor; Ger. Otter; E. otter; Lith. udras, udra “otter;” akin to → water. In Gk. mythology, this constellation represents the gigantic nine-head water-snake which haunted the swamps of Lerna. Herakles was sent to destroy her as one of his twelve labours, but for each of her heads that he decapitated, two more sprang forth. So with the help of Iolaos, Herakles applied burning brands to the severed stumps, cauterizing the wounds and preventing regeneration. In the battle he also crushed a giant crab (→ Cancer)
beneath his heel which had come to assist Hydra.

Etymology (PE): Hudrâ, from Gk. hydra, as above. → Hydrus (آبمار)