![]() I have written much about the questionable carrying-ons of Queen Cassiopeia (wife of Cepheus) In Ethiopian, Arabic and Greek lore/ The daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus (see ) was the princess Andromeda who was left to be devoured by the great sea monster CETUS ( by none other than mum and dad when their kingdom and subjects were about to fall victim to the wrath of the Gods of the Sea. The photograph below demonstrates the primary stars, marked with their Bayer designations, of the constellation: Note that on midnight on or about April 10 each year, middle northern latitude observers will spot Cassiopeia very low on the northern horizon "below" Polaris at this point the asterism describes a clear "W" shape however, a half-year later we wind the same constellation also at midnight much higher in the sky "above" Polaris and turned "upside down" to form a distinct "M" shape on about October 10.Ĭassiopeia is a familiar constellation to even the most casual skygazer, its primary bright stars (see below) describing that familiar "W" shape (Or an "M" is you are of that persuasion) in the high northern sky. Through this constellation, perhaps even better than "the big dipper" in Ursa Major can we witness the rotation of the Earth through the course of the night as its geographical axis is pointing directly toward the central point of this great circle inscribed by the large "W" or "M" shaped asterism of the sky. NOW.look at its changing positions throughout the course of a winter evening, from 6 p.m. ![]() Note from my following diagram the positions of Cassiopeia as seen at 10 p.m. ![]() Rather, it appears - if you were able to observe it throughout its 24-hour spin - to describe a complete circle centered on the North Star, Polaris. CASSIOPEIA CHANGES SERIESsome people see it as an "upside down W".I see it as an "M"įrom:Ĝlay Sherrod this 26th Constellation Guide, "GO TO CASSIOPEIA" of the series "GO TO GUIDES for the ETX, LX 90 and all GO TO Telescope Users we will explore the pre-fall skies that serve as a precursor to impending crisp evening skies, the smells of browning leaves as Mother Nature prepares its trees for the crunch of winter cold.Ĭassiopeia is one of the few CIRCUMPOLAR CONSTELLATIONS for the northern hemisphere in that it truly never rises nor sets below any horizon from as far south as 30 degrees north. "GO TO".CASSIOPEIA - A Slightly Naughty and Precocious Celestial Queen ![]()
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