![]() It has a mass 15 times greater than our sun, shines 40,000 times brighter, and forms the central most star in the traditional ‘W’ shape of the constellation. – Gamma Cassiopeia, the constellation’s brightest star, is a blue (B0.5 IVe) variable star located nearly 600 light years away whose visual magnitude ranges between 1.6 and 3.0. ![]() We usually associate Cassiopeia with its five most luminous stars which make up the majority of the constellation, although there are actually 53 Bayer/Flamsteed designated stars: Perseus on his winged-horse Pegasus subsequently rescued Andromeda from Cetus, whom her father ( Cepheus) and mother (Cassiopeia) had tied to a rock to appease the monster, and so Poseidon decided to punish Cassiopeia all the same by tying her to a chair and placing her in the heavens where she still circles the northern sky, spending half her time upside-down. Naturally, the fabled sea god Poseidon himself took offense and sent a sea monster (Cetus) to ravage their kingdom. She even boasted that her beauty, and that of her daughter Andromeda, was greater than that of the Nereids (sea nymphs). It is surrounded in the night sky by a family of constellations associated with the legend of Perseus, including the hero’s winged horse Pegasus, the queen’s husband Cepheus, her daughter Andromeda, and the sea monster Cetus.Ĭassiopeia, the mother of Andromeda, was a woman who prized vanity above respect for the Gods, which in ancient Greece was not the wisest of decisions for our self-absorbed heroine. 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.Cassiopeia is named after a vain Ethiopian queen from Greek mythology. 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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