Cassiopeia

Description

Cassiopeia forms a distinctive "W" (or "M" depending on time of year) that makes it very easy to identify. It is circumpolar from mid-northern latitudes and is opposite Ursa Major relative to Polaris.

Mythology and History

Cassiopeia was the queen of Ethiopia, wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda. She was punished for boasting of being more beautiful than the Nereids, condemned to circle the pole forever.

How to Observe

Visible all year from the northern hemisphere. The W shape is unmistakable. Gamma Cassiopeiae is a variable star that sometimes outshines the others.

Main Stars