This makes Cassiopeia the 25th largest constellation of the heavenly bodies. This is one of the largest constellations in the heavens.Ĭassiopeia is 598.4 degrees which is the equivalent of 1.451% of the sky. So Cassiopeia is one hour or 15 degrees to the right of the celestial equator and 60 degrees north of that. The Hours refers to the 24 segments that each represent 15 degrees of the 360 degrees of the globe. These are the terms that astronomers use to map the night sky and serve as the equivalents of latitude and longitude. The location in the sky is designated as one hour right of ascension and 60 degrees north of declination. It resides in the sky near other constellations whose names are taken from the Greek myth, Perseus, Cepheus, and Andromeda, Cassiopeia Constellation Location in the Sky Also turned to stone are Cassiopeia and her husband.Ĭassiopeia is forever immortalized in the stars as the namesake for this constellation. They prepare her for sacrifice, and she is saved by Perseus who says the monster and then subsequently weds her.Īt the wedding feast a fight breaks out, and he uses Medusa’s severed head to turn the enemies to stone. The only way to save the kingdom, according to an oracle, to rid the kingdom of the monster is to sacrifice Andromeda, the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus. The Nereids were unhappy and complained to Poseidon who then deploys a sea monster to destroy the coastal kingdom. The story goes that Cassiopeia was married to Cepheus and bragged that she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs known as Nereids. She is known as the vain queen due to the story about her and her daughter Andromeda. Cassiopeia Constellation MythologyĬassiopeia is a figure from Greek Mythology. Take the line of those stars and follow it to the other side of Polaris and there you will find Cassiopeia. Use the two stars of the Dipper that point toward the Polaris. You may also see the ‘W’ as an ‘M’ and you can locate it using the Big Dipper. It is created from the five brightest stars in the constellation, recognized as being made of 8 total stars. Cassiopeia Constellation Facts, Myth, Location and Stars How to Identify The Cassiopeia ConstellationĬassiopia has a fairly distinct misaligned ‘W’. These include a supernova remnant known as Cassiopeia A, a planetary nebula known as the Pacman Nebula (NGC 281), and a pair of nebulas known together as the Heart Nebula and the Soul Nebula.There are quite a few things to know about this constellation including the namesake, how to locate it, and the stars that create its shape to name a few. The constellation also contains a number of dim objects that can only be seen with large telescopes. M103 is another open cluster with approximately 172 stars. M52 is an open star cluster containing over 190 stars. It contains two Messier objects, M52 and M103. The Milky Way runs through Cassiopeia so it is rich in deep-sky objects. It is a variable star with a magnitude of between 1.6 and 3.0. Navi is the third brightest star and makes up the center of the W. With a magnitude of 2.28, it is believed to be a blue-white giant star 28 times brighter than the Sun. It is an orange giant star located 228 light years from Earth. Shedar is the brightest star in the constellation with a visual magnitude of 2.24. The stars that make up this W are Segin, Ruchbah, Navi, Shedar, and Caph. As the stars rotate throughout the night, Cassiopeia can sometimes be seen hanging upside down as punishment for her vanity.Ĭassiopeia is one of the most easily recognizable constellations due to its distinctive W or M shape, depending on the time of year and the viewer’s location. Cassiopeia was condemned to circle the celestial pole forever. As punishment, the god Poseidon placed Cassiopeia and Cepheus in the sky. She is represented as being chained to her throne in the heavens as punishment for her boast of being more beautiful than all the Nereids. It is bordered by Andromeda to the south, Perseus to the southeast, and Cepheus to the north.Ĭassiopeia was the wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda. This makes it the 25th largest constellation in the night sky. It is a mid-sized constellation occupying 598 square degrees. Since it is located close to the north celestial pole, it is completely below the horizon for anyone located south of -20 degrees. It is visible at latitudes between 90 degrees and -20 degrees. The constellation Cassiopeia, Queen of Ethiopia, can be seen in the northern hemisphere all year long.
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