Cassiopeia (constellation)

Cassiopeia
Constellation
Cassiopeia
AbbreviationCas
GenitiveCassiopeiae
Pronunciation/ˌkæsiəˈpə, -si-/ Cássiopéia,
esp. for the constellation also /ˌkæsiˈpiə/[1] Cássiópeia;
genitive /ˌkæsiəˈp, -si-, -/[2]
Symbolismthe Seated Queen
Right ascension22h 57m 04.5897s03h 41m 14.0997s[3]
Declination77.6923447°–48.6632690°[3]
Area598 sq. deg. (25th)
Main stars5
Bayer/Flamsteed
stars
53
Stars with planets14
Stars brighter than 3.00m4
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)7
Brightest starα Cas (Schedar)[a] (2.24m)
Messier objects2
Meteor showersPerseids
Bordering
constellations
Camelopardalis
Cepheus
Lacerta
Andromeda
Perseus
Visible at latitudes between +90° and −20°.
Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of November.

Cassiopeia () is a constellation and asterism in the northern sky named after the vain queen Cassiopeia, mother of Andromeda, in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivaled 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.

Cassiopeia is located in the northern sky and from latitudes above 34°N it is visible year-round. In the (sub)tropics it can be seen at its clearest from September to early November, and at low southern, tropical, latitudes of less than 25°S it can be seen, seasonally, low in the North.

At magnitude 2.2, Alpha Cassiopeiae, or Schedar, is generally the brightest star in Cassiopeia, though it is occasionally outshone by the variable Gamma Cassiopeiae, which has reached magnitude 1.6. The constellation hosts some of the most luminous stars known, including the yellow hypergiants Rho Cassiopeiae and V509 Cassiopeiae and white hypergiant 6 Cassiopeiae. In 1572, Tycho Brahe's supernova flared brightly in Cassiopeia.[4] Cassiopeia A is a supernova remnant and the brightest extrasolar radio source in the sky at frequencies above 1 GHz. Fourteen star systems have been found to have exoplanets, one of which—HD 219134—is thought to host six planets. A rich section of the Milky Way runs through Cassiopeia, containing a number of open clusters, young luminous galactic disc stars, and nebulae. IC 10 is an irregular galaxy that is the closest known starburst galaxy and the only one in the Local Group of galaxies.

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917]. Peter Roach; James Hartmann; Jane Setter (eds.). English Pronouncing Dictionary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 3-12-539683-2.
  2. ^ "Cassiopeia". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2020-03-22.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference boundary was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cassiopeia" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 460.


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