Here is a selection of the most familiar and easily seen constellations in the northern sky. Its variable brightness is readily seen with the naked eye. More perseus information back to constellations home page. It is located near several other constellations named after ancient greek legends surrounding perseus. If anyone looked at medusas face they would turn to stone. Instructions on using this constellation sky map on the above constellation map click on adjacent contellations to view them. A couple of interesting deep sky objectscan be seen in perseus. The mythology of the constellation guide andromeda, page 1. The constellations brightest star, alpha persei, is a bit brighter. It is bordered by perseus, cassiopeia, lacerta, pegasus, pisces, and triangulum. Perseus was the son of danae, daughter of king acrisius.
How to find perseus night sky guide we the curious youtube. Jun 01, 2016 andromeda is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2ndcentury grecoroman astronomer ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. In greek mythology, andromeda was chained to a rock and left to the monster cetus to appease the gods before being rescued by perseus. The constellations andromeda and perseus, along with pegasus, casseopiea and cepheus, are richly intertwined in mythology, but are vastly divergent in the objects they present to amateur astronomers. Star map with constellations of andromeda, perseus, and. Constellations are groups of stars forming a recognizable pattern that are traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure. Su persei, the brightest of the three, has an apparent. Other constellations in the perseus group include andromeda, cassiopeia and pegasus.
Also known as beta persei, algol is the bestknown star in the constellation. There is also the heavenly waters constellation family from old mesopotamia traditions. The brightest star in perseus is a yellowwhite supergiant. Ross exton of the live science team shows you how to find the constellation, along with algol the demon star. The constellation cassiopeia is m or wshaped, ascending in the northeast on northern hemisphere autumn evenings. Myth about andromeda and perseus windows to the universe. The double cluster, consisting of the open clusters ngc 884 and ngc 869, can be seen by the naked eye. Constellation perseus astrology perseus constellation gives an intelligent, strong, bold. Constellation perseusconstellation perseus named after.
Constellation names associated with figures from mythology include most of the members of the perseus family, the hercules family, the orion family, the zodiac family and the ursa major family. With the help of hermes wings and athenas shield, perseus killed medusa without looking at her. According to the myth, it was the goddess athena who placed andromedas image among the stars, between perseus and cassiopeia, with the constellation pisces lying between her and the sea monster cetus. Andromeda is part of the perseus group of constellations which also includes cassiopeia and pegasus. Other names for this star are mirphak and alpha persei.
Perseus then freed the beautiful andromeda and, claiming her as his bride, took her home with him as his queen to rule. Perseus had many types of variable stars, many of which are too small to notice. Perseus, named efter the greek meethological hero perseus, is a constellation in the northren sky. For thou sharest the power of cypris, and by thy lovecares dost charm unwedded maidens. He was, alongside cadmus and bellerophon, the greatest greek hero and slayer of monsters before the days of heracles.
A few drops of medusas blood fell into the sea, mixed with the foam, and gave birth to pegasus, the flying horse, who later played a part in the story of another hero, bellerophon. Eugene delporte originally listed the 88 modern constellations on behalf of the iau commission 3 astronomical notations, in delimitation scientifique des. On his way home, perseus came across the monster, cetus, getting ready to eat andromeda. His only surviving work is an unfinished epic poem entitled the argonautica, describing the voyage of the argonauts in their quest for the golden fleece. Perseus constellation facts, mythology and how to find. Apr 26, 2016 in the 2nd century ce, greekegyptian astronomer claudius ptolemaeus aka. Perseus constellation simple english wikipedia, the. Constellation perseus the constellations on sea and sky.
Apollonius rhodius, argonautica book 3 theoi classical. Perseus, the nephew of the king of the city of argos noticed her as he was sailing by and immediately fell in love with her. Andromeda insisted that their wedding be celebrated. Its the center from which the annual perseid meteor shower, a midsummer spectacle in the northern hemisphere, radiates. Though many people start their days by checking their horoscope in the newspaper, the 12 constellations of the zodiac are no more important to astronomers than the other 76 constellations. Each cluster covers more than 12 degree of sky, with ngc869 being the brighter and richer of the pair. Perseus the hero perseus celestial atlas by alexander jamieson 1822. Media in category perseus constellation the following 82 files are in this category, out of 82 total. Valerius flaccus, argonautica book 1 theoi classical. The constellation perseus, the hero, can be seen in late summer and autumn in the northern hemisphere. In the western tradition, most of the northern constellations stem from ptolemys list in the almagest which in turn has roots that go back to mesopotamian astronomy, and most of the far southern.
The characters in his story are represented by six constellations that occupy a substantial part of the sky. His treatise, known as the almagest, would be used by. It is visible at latitudes between 90 degrees and 35 degrees. Greek mythology is full of heroes, but the greatest of them all was perseus. The significance of the zodiac stems from the fact that the ecliptic the narrow path on the sky that the sun, moon, and planets appear to follow runs. Perseus ngc869 and ngc884 make up the famous double cluster, a related pair of star clusters that form one of the richest sights in the sky for small telescopes. This category has the following 2 subcategories, out of 2 total. Harvardsmithsonian center for astrophysics 60 garden street, cambridge, ma 028 usa phone.
Perseus was a greek hero most famous for his slaying of medusa. This is the list of notable stars in the constellation perseus, sorted by decreasing brightness. The galactic equator is crossing our field of view, whereas in these fields pointing so far away from the galactic center, the star fields are not very dense. Its a group of thousands of galaxies 240 lightyears away. This was a rather complex task, as anyone who saw her hideous face would be turned immediately to stonethe gorgons, according to bulfinch, were monstrous females with huge teeth like those of swine, brazen claws, and snaky hair bulfinchs. The sky is not divided up equally between the constellations. Beta gruis is a red giant variable star with a minimum magnitude of 2. Perseus grandfather, acrisius, the king of argos, was warned by an oracle that he would be killed by his grandson. Menzel also included a few neighboring constellations. Title star map with constellations of andromeda, perseus, and triangulum created published published 1776. Andromeda is a large constellation, covering 722 square degrees of the sky.
Ptolemy compiled a list of the thenknown 48 constellations. He beheaded the gorgon medusa for polydectes and saved andromeda from the sea monster cetus. Perseus is one of the oldest constellations, having been cataloged by the greek. Andromeda constellation stars according to ptolemy, the influence of this constellation. Andromeda is one of the original 48 constellations listed by the greek astronomer ptolemy in the second century. One of the larger constellations of the northern hemisphere. The constellations brightest star, alpha gruis, is also known as alnair and appears as a 1. Constellation perseusconstellation perseus named after the.
It spans over 30 degrees of the zodiac in the sign aries and taurus, and contains 9 named fixed stars. Constellation perseus the champion, is a northern constellation sitting above constellation taurus and below constellation cassiopeia, and between constellation andromeda and constellation auriga u. Perseus, constellation in the northern sky at about 4 hours right ascension and 40 north in declination. This unaided eye constellation sky map has the following limits. It is one of the 48 listed by the 2ndcentury astronomer ptolemy,1 and among the 88 modern constellations defined by the international astronomical union iau.
Cassiopeia and perseus in northeast on autumn evenings earthsky. Perseus constellation simple english wikipedia, the free. The constellation perseus represents the greek hero perseus in the sky and is one of the six constellations associated with the myth of perseus. While perseus lies along the milky way, and offers many sparkling open clusters and diffuse nebulae, andromeda lies away from our galaxys plane. Perseus is one of the oldest constellations, having been cataloged by the greek astronomer ptolemy in the second century, and it has more than one attraction for stargazers. The constellations grus, pavo, phoenix and tucana are collectively known as the southern birds. Perseus he was the son of jupiter and danae, and is best known for his killing of the gorgon medusa. The work differs in many respects from the likethemed argonautica of apollonius rhodius, composed four centuries earlier in greek.
The brightest star, alpheratz from the arabic for horses navel. Andromeda is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2ndcentury grecoroman astronomer ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. While perseus lies along the milky way, and offers many sparkling open clusters and diffuse nebulae, andromeda lies away from our galaxys plane, and lets. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Beta persei algol is a notable ea type eclipsing binary, changing from 2. Aug 01, 2003 andromeda library of constellations peters, stephanie true on. The two open clusters are right beside each other at magnitude 6. The perseus family includes several constellations associated with the perseus myth. The international astronomical union recognizes 88 constellations covering the entire northern and southern sky. It is an epic poem in the style of homer, and tells the story of jason and the argonauts and their quest for the golden fleece. Destined to become the great grandfather of the famous hercules, perseus had a rough start in life.
Constellation families are collections of constellations sharing some defining characteristic, such as proximity on the celestial sphere, common historical origin, or common mythological theme. Andromeda was one of the original 48 constellations formulated by ptolemy in his 2ndcentury almagest, in which it was defined as a specific pattern of stars. Constellation names that come from greek mythology and figures from greek and roman myths are. In classical greek mythology, perseus beheaded the snakeheaded medusa to save the princess andromeda from a nasty sea monster. The argonautica apollonius of rhodes ancient greece. In fact, it is the 19th largest constellation in the night sky. Perseus gives name to one of the constellation families. In 1922, the international astronomical union iau recognized 88 modern constellations. Drama in the heavens the legends of the constellations.
Take a look at the story of how perseus slew medusa, the mother of pegasus, and rescued andromeda, the daughter of cepheus and cassiopeia, from the sea monster cetus. Wikimedia commons has media related to perseus constellation. In the winter sky of the northern hemisphere, perseus can be seen flanked by taurus, aries, andromeda and cassiopeia. The constellation depicting perseus lies in a prominent part of the milky way, which is perhaps why aratus termed him duststained. Perseus perseus in the greek mythology, perseus was the hero who rescued andromeda, the beautiful daughter of cepheus and cassiopeia, from whale, the sea monster. Cassiopeia, cepheus, andromeda, perseus, pegasus, and cetus representing the monster sent to devour andromeda. He promised to rescue andromeda if her parents would allow him to marry her. Perseus has been recognized as a constellation for at least 2,000 years. As a baby, he and his mother were put in a chest and cast into the sea by acrisius, danaes father. How to find perseus night sky guide we the curious. Book of the constellations of the fixed stars depict the constellation perseus. Perseus is near several constellations whose names derive from the adventures of the greek hero, known as the perseus group. Perseus also contains several notable deep sky objects. The andromedids meteor shower which occurs every november is named after andromeda as it appears to emanate from the constellation.
Perseus constellation myths and facts under the night sky. Perseus constellation perseus, named after the greek mythological hero perseus, is a constellation in the northern sky. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Dec 16, 2008 positioned north of the ecliptic plane, the constellation of perseus was one of the original 48 constellations listed by ptolemy, and endures as one of the 88 modern constellations. Andromeda is one of the original constellations listed by the grecoroman scientist ptolemy almost 2,000 years ago. He eventually wrote a book the reason he gets all the credit called almagest, which. But it is greek epic poetry updated for the tastes of a more discerning and rational hellenistic audience.
Constellation andromeda the constellations on sea and sky. Valerius flaccus was a roman poet who flourished in the late c1st a. Located north of the celestial equator, it is named for andromeda, daughter of cassiopeia, in the greek myth, who was chained to a rock to be eaten by the sea monster cetus. The argonautica is the best known work by the 3rd century bce hellenistic poet and scholar, apollonius of rhodes. From east to west this constellation extends from roughly ra4h 50m to ra1h 30m. Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, being named after the greek mythological hero perseus.
These consists of two stars in close orbit that periodically pass in front of each other as observed from earth, causing a variability between mag. Acrisius locked his daughter danae in a dungeon to prevent her bearing a child. An oracle had told acrisiusa that a son of danae would one day kill him. Perseus was the son of the greek god zeus and the mortal princess danae. Except for cetus, these constellations all lie north of the. Sharing a region of sky with the perseus constellation is a vast neighborhood of galaxies called the perseus cluster. Several of the neighboring constellations perseus, cassiopeia, cetus, and cepheus also represent characters in the perseus myth. Fixed stars of alsufi late 15th century iran ink and gold on paper. Algol beta persei is the prototype of the eclipsing binary variables. Its quite protracted, lasting from around july 17th to august 24th, and peaking around august 9th when about. Persei is a constellation, one of 88 constellations that the night sky is divided into. Stars shown for brighter than 6 limiting magnitude, star names labels shown for stars brighter than 4 limiting magnitude, bayerflamsteed code labels shown for stars brighter than 5 limiting magnitude. Andromeda is most prominent during autumn evenings in the northern. Apollonius rhodius, argonautica, book 1, line 1 perseus.
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