Cassiopeia (constellation)
| Constellation | |
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| Abbreviation | Cas |
|---|---|
| Genitive | Cassiopeiae |
| Pronunciation |
/ˌkæsiəˈpiːə, -sioʊ-/ Cássiopéia, esp. for the constellation also /ˌkæsiˈoʊpiə/Cássiópeia; genitive /ˌkæsiəˈpiːaɪ, -sioʊ-, -iː/ |
| Symbolism | the Seated Queen |
| Right ascension | 22h 57m 04.5897s–03h 41m 14.0997s |
| Declination | 77.6923447°–48.6632690° |
| Family | Perseus |
| Area | 598 sq. deg. (25th) |
| Main stars | 5 |
|
Bayer/Flamsteed stars |
53 |
| Stars with planets | 14 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 4 |
| Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly) | 7 |
| Brightest star | α Cas (Schedar) (2.24m) |
| Nearest star |
η Cas (Achird) (19.42 ly, 5.95 pc) |
| Messier objects | 2 |
| Meteor showers | Perseids |
| Bordering constellations |
Camelopardalis Cepheus Lacerta Andromeda Perseus |
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Visible at latitudes between +90° and −20°. Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of November. |
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Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty. Cassiopeia was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. It is easily recognizable due to its distinctive 'W' shape, formed by five bright stars. It is opposite the Big Dipper. In northern locations above 34ºN latitude it is visible year-round and in the (sub)tropics it can be seen at its clearest from September to early November. Even in low southern latitudes below 25ºS it can be seen low in the North.
At magnitude 2.2, Alpha Cassiopeiae, or Schedar, is generally the brightest star in Cassiopeia, though is often shaded by Gamma Cassiopeiae, which has brightened to magnitude 1.6 on occasion. The constellation hosts some of the most luminous stars known, including the yellow hypergiants Rho Cassiopeiae and V509 Cassiopeiae and white hypergiant 6 Cassiopeiae. The semiregular variable PZ Cassiopeiae is one of the largest known stars. In 1572, Tycho Brahe's supernova flared brightly in Cassiopeia. Fourteen star systems have been found to have exoplanets, one of which—HR 8832—is thought to host seven planets.
The constellation is named after Cassiopeia, the queen of Aethiopia. Cassiopeia was the wife of King Cepheus of Aethiopia and mother of Princess Andromeda. Cepheus and Cassiopeia were placed next to each other among the stars, along with Andromeda. She was placed in the sky as a punishment after enraging Poseidon with the boast that her daughter Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids or, alternatively, that she herself was more beautiful than the sea nymphs. She was forced to wheel around the North Celestial Pole on her throne, spending half of her time clinging to it so she does not fall off, and Poseidon decreed that Andromeda should be bound to a rock as prey for the monster Cetus. Andromeda was then rescued by the hero Perseus, whom she later married.
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Wikipedia