Cassiopeia, the Queen. Click on image for full size (35K JPG) Windows Original

Cassiopeia was the wife of King Cepheus. She was very pretty, and would often boast that she and her daughter were more beautiful than the sea nymphs, the Nereids. They complained to Poseidon, who unleashed a monster onto Cepheus' land. In order to save their country, the king and queen sacrificed their daughter, Andromeda. Just before the monster, named Cetus, ate the princess, Perseus saved her. All five figures are represented in the sky as constellations.

Cassiopeia has a very distinct shape. She looks like a "W" or "M" in the sky, depending on where she is. Some legends say that Cassiopeia was chained into the sky and sometimes hangs upside-down to remind others not to be so boastful.

Cassiopeia is a northern circumpolar constellation, so it can be viewed all year long. The constellation is made of several variable stars, which change in magnitude throughout time. It is also home to several clusters, or groups of stars. One in particular, M52, consists of hundreds of stars. It can be found on the Western edge.

With the help of a telescope, many distant objects can be spotted. There are two planetary nebulae within Cassiopeia, one being the Bubble Nebula. A few diffuse nebulae are also present, an example being IC 1805. This nebula is located just to the east of the constellation. Finally, a number of galaxies can be spotted, including NGC 185, which is a small distance south of the "W".

Cassiopeia, the Queen. Click on image for full size (35K JPG) Windows Original

Cassiopeia was the wife of King Cepheus. She was very pretty, and would often brag that she and her daughter were more beautiful than the sea nymphs, the Nereids. They complained to Poseidon, who sent a monster to Cepheus' land. In order to save their country, the king and queen sacrificed their daughter, Andromeda. Just before the monster, named Cetus, ate the princess, Perseus saved her. All five figures are represented in the sky as constellations.

Cassiopeia has a very distinct shape. She looks like a "W" or "M" in the sky, depending on where she is. Some legends say that Cassiopeia was chained into the sky and sometimes hangs upside-down to remind others not to be so boastful.

Cassiopeia is a northern circumpolar constellation, so it can be viewed all year long. It is home to several clusters, or groups of stars. M52 is a large cluster on the western edge.

With a telescope, many distant objects can be spotted. There are a few nebulae within Cassiopeia, including the Bubble Nebula and IC 1805. This nebula is located just to the east of the constellation. Finally, a number of galaxies can be spotted, including NGC 185, which is a small distance south of the "W".

Cassiopeia, the Queen. Click on image for full size (35K JPG) Windows Original

Cassiopeia was the queen of an ancient land. She and her husband, Cepheus, had a daughter named Andromeda. Cassiopeia would always say she was prettier than the sea nymphs. A monster called Cetus was sent to punish her. It was about to eat Andromeda, when Perseus saved her. All five are now constellations.

Cassiopeia is easy to find because it looks like a "W"! It's a circumpolar constellation, so you can see it all year long. If you use a telescope, you can find lots of cool objects around the constellation.

There are a few nebulae in Cassiopeia, including the Bubble Nebula. There are also several star clusters, or groups of stars, and even some galaxies! Next time you are outside on a clear night, check out this old constellation.