Constellation Kissiopeia clearly visible in the night sky in the form of five stars that form the irregular letter W or M. These five stars of the constellation Cassiopeia are often called the Throne - Queen Cassiopeia sits on it, who is usually depicted with a mirror.

Constellation Kissiopeia is not very far from the North Star and is therefore visible at any time of the year, never going beyond the horizon throughout Russia.

However, observing objects located in constellation Cassiopeia The best time to view a telescope is in the fall - at this time of year it is closest to the zenith around midnight.
More precisely, Cassiopeia is located near the zenith at the latitude of Moscow at the end of September.

Unlike some other constellations, the five main stars of Cassiopeia are clearly visible even in the overexposed city sky.

This diagram shows the main stars of the constellation Cassiopeia. There are only five main stars in Cassiopeia, they are quite bright, located in the form of a clearly visible figure and have their own names:
Shedar - Alpha Cassiopeia
Kaf - betta Cassiopeia
Navi - Gamma Cassiopeia
Rukbach - Cassiopeia delta
Seguin - epsilon of Cassiopeia

The remaining stars are much fainter and are usually not united by conventional lines, but the brightest of them are visible to the naked eye and are designated by letters of the Greek alphabet.
The light nebula in the background of the diagram is the Milky Way.
By the way, the Milky Way is usually not visible near cities, but having found the constellation Cassiopeia, you can guess where it approximately passes and try to see it.

Constellation Cassiopeia - interesting facts

It is curious that if you mentally draw straight lines from any star of the Ursa Major bucket through the North Star, then in the end they will almost exactly intersect one of the stars of the Throne asterism in the constellation Cassiopeia, that is, one of its brightest stars.

The constellation Cassiopeia is named after the wife of the Ethiopian king Cepheus. Cepheus and Cassiopeia were the parents of Andromeda, the one who was saved from the sea monster by the hero of ancient Greek myths Perseus.
By the way, Queen Cassiopeia herself was to blame for the appearance of this monster - she declared that she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs of the Nereids. The nymphs could not stand the bragging and asked Poseidon to intercede. Poseidon, being married to one of the Nereids, could not refuse and sent a sea monster to Ethiopia, which Perseus had to deal with.
It is because of this narcissism that Cassiopeia is depicted with a mirror.
In general, there would not have been female intrigue here, but without them there would have been no heroes...

If you look at a star chart, you can see constellations dedicated to all members of this star family. They are all located nearby: Andromeda is located below Cassiopeia, closer to the horizon, and the constellation Cepheus is closer to the Polar Star. To the right of Andromeda is Pegasus, a winged horse born from drops of the blood of Medusa the Gorgon, but that’s another story :)

Look at the diagram of the constellation Cassiopeia and find the star labeled K.
Not far from it (a little higher and to the right according to the diagram) in early November 1572, a bright supernova broke out. On November 11, the brightness of the star increased so much that it was visible even during the day at noon!
According to the records of astronomer Tycho Brahe, its brightness reached a value of approximately -4 m. According to the records, the brightness was about as bright as Venus at its brightest. The supernova was visible even during the day through the haze.
Then the star dimmed and gradually disappeared from the sky.
In 1952, a radio source was found in this place. In 1960, the remains of the star were discovered using an optical telescope.
Now this object is called SN 1572. NASA managed to take a picture of it.
SN 1572 is located 7,500 light-years from the Sun (2,300 parsecs).

The constellation Cassiopeia is not rich in remarkable objects, but there are still some.
These are mainly open star clusters, which is not surprising: the constellation Cassiopeia is located against the backdrop of the Milky Way, and the lion's share of open star clusters is located there.
Near the star Rukbach there is an open cluster of stars M103, visible with good binoculars.
M76 - planetary nebula Small dumbbell with a brightness of only 10 m - a fairly strong telescope is needed.
M52 is an open star cluster, visible with good binoculars.
At the very bottom you can see M32 - the famous nebula in the constellation Andromeda. This is of course not in the constellation Cassiopeia, but not so far...
Exactly down from the star Seguin, the diagram shows NGC 884 and NGC 869 - a fairly well-known pair of open clusters "chi and al Persei". Through binoculars they are visible as a pair of two bright balls of stars located close to each other - I highly recommend checking them out!

Other objects in the Cassiopeia constellation are less bright; almost all of them are open star clusters.
Nebulas are indicated in gray, but to observe them you need a good telescope and a completely black sky far from cities, without any light pollution. It is better to look at information about them on the online star map - see the menu on the left.

or tell your friends:

Cassiopeia- wife of the Ethiopian king Kepheus, who ruled Iona, mother of Adromeda. Details of the almost tragic story are on the Perseids page. Here I will only note that since Cassiopeia played the most malicious role in this story, Zeus placed her in the sky, sitting in a basket. When the basket turns over in the celestial movement, Cassiopeia flounders in it to the ridicule of everyone!

And some cynical jokers claim that it’s not even in a basket, but on a gynecological chair... Let’s leave this observation to their conscience.

Story

Cassiopeia- one of the oldest constellations.

Prehistory and antiquity

Perhaps it was included in the list of Minoan constellations, although this list is too unreliable to be stated with any confidence.

It’s difficult to say whether this is true, but Cassiopeia is certainly one of the oldest ancient constellations. Its easily remembered characteristic W-shape, proximity to the north pole of the World, almost constant visibility above the horizon (albeit worse in ancient times than now) could not help but attract attention. I am inclined to include it in a hypothetical list of early antique constellations.

Babylonian astronomers have a constellation in this place Deer(LU.LIM). A completely understandable application: the fundamental asterism of the constellation, the W-asterism, in this case is interpreted as the antlers of a deer. It is easy to see that this eastern constellation had no influence on the Greek imagination.

The classic legend associated with the constellation is the myth of Cassiopeia, the Ionian queen. It was traditionally believed that in heaven she was tied to a chair, so that periodically with the rotation of the sky she turned upside down. Later, Cassiopeia was depicted sitting on a throne.

It seems to me a convincing version that Cassiopeia was originally natural a constellation, that is, a group of stars that resembled a specific object, namely, in this case, a chair, a seat in general (not in the sense of an ass, but in the sense of furniture, of course!). The stars of the ε-δ constellation form the back, δ-γ-α - actually, uh, the seat, and α-β - the support for the legs. And how the seat of the chair was transformed into the queen is unknown. Probably, this transformation occurred during the formation of the plot group of the Perseids constellations - Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Cepheus, Perseus and, possibly, Pegasus - which occurred a little later.

The constellation is part of the Ptolemaic catalog. Ptolemy has 13 stars in the constellation.

Aratus of Soli in “Apparitions” writes about Cassiopeia:

Cassiopeia sits next to her husband,
Even at that time it is light, when the full moon comes,
Although a few of its lights make up a constellation.
The location of the stars is similar to the key, which
The lock enters the hole, the iron teeth move
And he unlocks the bolt. She's the one with the distorted face
Raising her hands, she froze, ready to sob inconsolably.

As a rule, the Greeks named the constellation simply by the name of the mythological queen - Cassiopeia, Κασσιέπεια .

However, there were also options: Throne(Cassiopeia, Ἡ τοῦ θρόνου ). Based on the shape of the constellation, which resembled the groove of a key, see, for example, Aratus above, the names were used Laconic Key And Kyrian Key- from the areas of Laconia in the Peloponnese and Kyria in Asia Minor, where, it seemed to the Greek, the key was invented. It is poetically described as " Penelope's crescent key":

With a softly puffy hand, an artificially curved copper
The key with the ivory handle was delivered, the queen
I went to that distant storage room
Homer, The Odyssey, trans. V. Zhukovsky.

The Romans, in addition to the classical name, used descriptions in their own manner: Woman on the throne(chair) - Mulier Sedis (Sella, Solium), or simply Armchair. Late, Bayer version Cathedra mollis is considered incorrect. Title used Inthronata.

Middle Ages

To the Arabs, who carefully translated Ptolemy but were indifferent to Greek myths, the classical name meant nothing, and they used the descriptive Al Dhāt al Kursiyy or Dhath Alcursi, still the same Woman in White Woman in a chair. In English, a similar name is still used - the Seated Queen, Seated Queen.

However, the Arabs had their own Arab constellations in place of the Greek Cassiopeia. This is important for us to complete the picture: some stars of the constellation bear echoes of ancient Arabic ideas.

Please note: the five stars of the W-shaped constellation can be thought of as the five fingers of a hand. This is exactly the constellation Kaff al Ḣadib - "Palm painted with henna" - was among the Arabs. Probably, the stars symbolized the tips of the fingers, painted with a vegetable dye - henna. (By the way, the use of henna as a cosmetic for coloring nails, fingers or palms was practiced in Crete in the Minoan culture.) It was believed that this " Palm of the Pleiades" - quite strange, if the fate is that the Pleiades are not so close from Cassiopeia - the path lies entirely through the constellation Perseus, and the Pleiades themselves, a small group of stars, are much smaller than their “palm” - Cassiopeia. By the way, according to some evidence, sometimes among the Arabs Cassiopeia was also called Pleiades - Al Thuraya.

> Cassiopeia

Object	Designation	Name meaning	Object type	Magnitude
1	M52	No		5.00
2	M103	No	open star cluster	7.40
3	Shedar (Alpha Cassiopeiae)	"Breast"	Orange giant	2.24
4	Kaph (Beta Cassiopeia)	"Palm"	White-blue giant	2.28
5	Navi (Gamma Cassiopeia)	"Ivan is the opposite"	Blue subdwarf	2.47
6	Rukbach (Delta Cassiopeia)	"Knee"	Double star	2.68
7	Seguin (Epsilon Cassiopeia)	Origin unknown	White-blue giant	3.37
8	Achird (Eta Cassiopeia)	Origin unknown	Yellow-white dwarf	3.44
9	Zeta Cassiopeia	No	Blue-white subgiant	3.66
10	Kappa Cassiopeia	No	Blue-white supergiant	4.16
11	Theta Cassiopeia	"Knee"	Blue subgiant	4.34
12	Chi Cassiopeia	No	Yellow giant	4.68
13	Upsilon-2 Cassiopeia	"Front of Clothes"	Yellow giant	4.83

What does the diagram look like? constellation Cassiopeia northern hemisphere: how to find, description with photos, facts, star map, myth and legend, bright stars and objects.

Cassiopeia - constellation, which is in the northern sky. The name was given in honor of the vain and boastful queen in the myths of Ancient Greece.

The constellation Cassiopeia was first recorded in the second century by Ptolemy with other constellations of the Perseus group (except Lizard). It is easy to recognize in the sky because it is shaped like a “W”. It contains several notable objects: open clusters and , the supernova remnant of Cassiopeia A, the star-forming cloud NGC 281 and the NGC 7789 (White Rose) cluster.

Facts, position and map of the constellation Cassiopeia

With an area of 598 square degrees, the constellation Cassiopeia is the 25th largest constellation. Located in the first quadrant of the northern hemisphere (NQ1). It can be found in latitudes: from +90° to -20°. Adjacent to , and .

Cassiopeia
Lat. Name	Cassiopeia (genus Cassiopeiae)
Reduction	Cas
Symbol	Queen on the throne
Right ascension	from 22 h 52 m to 3 h 25 m
Declension	from +46° to +77°
Square	598 sq. degrees (25th place)
Brightest stars (value< 3 m )	Shedar (α Cas) - 2.24 m Cafe (β Cas) - 2.27 m Navi (γ Cas) - variable, 2.47 m Rukba (δ Cas) - 2.68 m
Meteor showers	No
Neighboring constellations	Giraffe Cepheus Lizard Andromeda Perseus
The constellation is visible at latitudes from +90° to -13°. The best time for observation is September-November.

It contains three stars with planets and two Messier objects: M103 (NGC 581) and M52 (NGC 7654). The brightest star is Shedar. The Perseid meteor shower is associated with the constellation. Cassiopeia is part of the Perseus group along with, and. Consider the diagram of the constellation Cassiopeia on a star chart.

The myth of the constellation Cassiopeia

The king asked the oracle for help and he advised him to give Poseidon his daughter Andromeda. With great difficulty they agreed and chained her to a rock. But at the last moment she was saved by Perseus, whom she later married. However, this is not the end. One of her admirers, Phineus, showed up at the wedding and accused her of treason, since only he had the right to marry her. A battle took place in which Perseus used the head of Medusa the Gorgon. But, since many people looked at her, the king and queen also turned to stone.

Poseidon sent Cassiopeia and Cepheus to heaven. But he still punished her, since for half a year the constellation remains turned upside down. Most often she is depicted sitting on a throne and combing her hair.

The main stars of the constellation Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia is distinguished by its unique "W" shape - an asterism created by five bright stars. From left to right: Epsilon, Delta, Gamma, Alpha and Beta Cassiopeia. Explore the bright stars of the Cassiopeia constellation with detailed descriptions and characteristics.

Shedar(Alpha Cassiopeiae) is an orange giant of spectral type K0IIIa at 228 light years. This is a suspicious variable star. The apparent value may vary depending on which photometric system is used. The range contains from 2.20 to 2.23 magnitudes. Located in the lower right corner of the W-asterism. The name Shedar is taken from the Arabic “şadr” - “chest”. It marks the star position - in the heart of Cassiopeia.

Kaf(Beta Cassiopeia) is a subgiant or giant of spectral type F2 III-IV. It is 54.5 light years away from us. This is a Delta Scuti type variable star. It is brighter than it in this class only (star in and 12th in the sky). This yellow-white star is 28 times brighter than the Sun and 4 times larger. It is currently in the process of cooling and will one day become a red giant.

Delta Scuti variables exhibit brightness variations due to radial and non-radial pulsations at the surface. These are usually giants or main sequence stars of spectral types ranging from A0 to F5.

The average apparent magnitude is 2.27. From the Arabic kaf translates as “palm” (that is, the palm of the Pleiades - a famous cluster in the constellation Taurus). Other traditional names are al-Sanam al-Naqa and al-Qaff al-Khadib.

Together with the stars Alpheratz (Andromeda) and Algenib (Pegasus), Kaf was perceived as one of the Three Guides - three bright stars creating an imaginary line from Kaf to Alpheratz to the celestial equator (the point where the Sun passes at the spring and autumn equinoxes).

It is a blue star (spectral type B0.5 IVe), located 610 light years away with 40,000 times the Sun's brightness and about 15 solar masses. Due to rapid rotation, it expands at the equator and creates a “maternity” disk of lost mass and material.

It is a known source of X-rays. The amount is 10 times higher than that of other B or Be class stars. It is a spectroscopic double star. The solar-mass satellite has a magnitude of 11 and a distance of two arcseconds. Rotates every 204 days.

The Chinese call it Qih - “whip”. She also has the nickname "Navi", which comes from astronaut Virgil Grissom. Navi is Ivan (in English Ivan is the middle name of an astronaut), written in reverse order. The astronauts used the star as a guide.

Ruckbach(Delta Cassiopeia) is an eclipsing double star with a period of 460 days. Belongs to spectral class A5. It is 99 light years distant and has an apparent magnitude between 2.68 and 2.74. It ranks fourth in brightness in the cluster. The name comes from the Arabic word for “knee”. Sometimes she is called Xora.

Seguin(Epsilon Cassiopeiae) is a bright blue-white B-class giant 440 light years away. 2500 times brighter than the Sun with an apparent magnitude of 3.34. Age – 65 million years. The star is at the end of a hydrogen fusion cycle. It is distinguished by very weak spectral absorption of helium.

Akhird(Eta Cassiopeiae) is a yellow-white G-type hydrogen dwarf star, slightly cooler than the Sun. The surface temperature is 5730 Kelvin, and the apparent magnitude is 3.45. It is the closest star in Cassiopeia to our system (only 19.4 light years away).

Akhird has a companion, an orange K-class dwarf with an apparent magnitude of 7.51, 11 arcseconds distant. Both are classified as the variable star RS Canes Venatici. They form a close binary star and have active chromospheres that create large star spots. This results in changes in luminosity - the brightness fluctuates by 0.05 magnitude.

Zeta Cassiopeia– blue-white subgiant (B2IV) 600 light years away. Apparent visual magnitude – 3.67. It is an SPB (slow pulsating B) variable star with a magnetic field. The rotation speed is 56 km/s, and the period is 5.37 days.

550,000 times brighter than the Sun with an absolute magnitude of -7.5. The apparent visual magnitude ranges from 4.1 to 6.2. It is a semi-regular variable with huge spikes every 50 years (causing the brightness to change). In 2000-2001, the star ejected about 10,000 Earth masses in a single outburst.

Scientists believe it exploded as a supernova because it used up most of its nuclear fuel. But if this is so, then the light from the explosion has not yet reached us.

V509 Cassiopeia– G-type supergiant at 7800 light years. The yellow-white star is a semi-regular variable. Luminosity varies within 4.75-5.5.

Celestial objects of the constellation Cassiopeia

(NGC 7654) is an open cluster 5000 light years away. Its apparent magnitude is 5.0, making it visible through binoculars.

It is 35 million years old and 13 arc minutes (19 light years) in diameter.

The cluster was discovered by Charles Messier in 1774. Among the brightest stars, two yellow giants stand out with magnitudes 7.77 and 8.22.

(NGC 581) is an open cluster 10,000 light years away. Holds 172 stars. Age – 25 million years.

The cluster was discovered by French astronomer Pierre Méchain in 1781. It is noteworthy that this turned out to be the last object that Charles Messier added to his catalogue.

- supernova remnant. It is the most powerful radio source in the sky outside the solar system and was one of the first radio sources discovered in 1947.

This is a cloud of material ejected by an explosion. It is 10 light years in diameter and is expanding at a speed of 4000-6000 km/s. The temperature is 50 million degrees Fahrenheit.

The explosion occurred approximately 11,000 years from Earth. The first supernova light arrived to us only 300 years ago.

(Pacman Nebula) is a large gas cloud in which star formation has recently occurred. Contains a huge amount of ionized atomic hydrogen (H II). Illuminates young, hot, blue stars with ultraviolet light.

It's called the Pac-Man Nebula because it looks like a character from a popular video game.

9500 light years away from Earth. In 1883, it was discovered by the American astronomer E. E. Barnard.

NGC 7789(White Rose) is an open star cluster 7,600 light years away. Apparent magnitude – 6.7. In 1783, it was discovered by British astronomer Caroline Herschel.

The cluster is also called the White Rose or Carolina Rose because the star loops resemble rose petals.

NGC 185(Caldwell 18) is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy 2.08 million light years away. This is a satellite of the Andromeda Nebula. It belongs to the Seyfert type with an active galactic nucleus. Hosts young star clusters and shows evidence of star formation.

It was found by John Herschel in 1787. The first photograph appeared thanks to James Keeler in 1898-1900. He used the Crossley Telescope (36 inches/910 mm), a reflecting telescope located at Lick Observatory (California).

NGC 147(Caldwell 17) is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy 2.53 million light years from Earth. It is also a satellite of the Andromeda Nebula and is part of the Local Group of galaxies. Originally found in 1829 by John Herschel. Apparent visual magnitude – 10.5.

Cassiopeia is an interesting constellation of northern latitudes. This modest, at first glance, combination of stars consists of 90 celestial bodies. They can be seen simply by looking at the sky, of course, if you have good vision and the absence of city light.

The Legend of Cassiopeia

The most common version of the legend is that an Ethiopian queen named Cassiopeia was extremely proud of her beauty. She was so arrogant that she began to compare herself with the younger goddesses, the daughters of Poseidon, and mock them. The sea god heard the impudent speeches and became angry. The whole country became a victim of anger, as the sea around the coast was engulfed by storms, a flood hit the fields, and the ships began to be devoured by a huge Whale.

To save his people, the ruler of the country, Kepheus, had to sacrifice his own daughter Andromeda, although she was later saved by Perseus. And the lord of the sea sent Cassiopeia herself to heaven as punishment. Every year the throne with the guilty queen turns over, causing her to experience terrible torment.

Later, the legend softened, and today the constellation Cassiopeia wanders in the sky to remind people of the beauty of the ancient queen.

What does the constellation Cassiopeia look like?

Inexperienced astronomers usually firmly know only 5, which form a characteristic figure similar to the Latin letter “W”. Thus, the constellation Cassiopeia, the diagram of which has a simple, laconic form, is quickly remembered by observers. These five stars are used in navigation and orientation; their names are of Arabic origin.

The orange giant star Shedar - Alpha Cassiopeia - has a brightness level of 2.2m.
Kaph, a beta constellation, has a brightness of approx. 2.3m.
Navi - Gamma Cassiopeia, a star of variable brightness from 1m to 3m. This star has an interesting feature: its half-joking name was given in honor of NASA astronaut Virgil Ivan Grissom, i.e. his middle name is read upside down. The older and more traditional name for the star is Tsich.
Rukba - constellation delta, 2.7m.
Seguin (2.2m), epsilon Cassiopeia, blue-white giant.

The combination of these celestial bodies in the shape of the letter “M” is what the constellation Cassiopeia looks like in the usual sense.

How to find a constellation?

This constellation can be seen all year round over the Northern Hemisphere. To observe the sky, you need to choose a cloudless night; you may have to leave the city, since illumination from buildings dims the shine of even the brightest stars. You can also use binoculars.

What should you pay attention to to find the constellation Cassiopeia? The search scheme has been developed a long time ago; using it as a guide, it is quite easy to find Cassiopeia. By using the diagram several times, you can easily find three northern constellations with your gaze.

First we find the Big Dipper, or “big dipper”. It would probably be difficult to find a person who could not identify this star cluster. In summer, the Big Dipper moves to the northwest, in autumn - to the north, in winter - to the northeastern part of the sky, in spring - it is at the zenith. Through the outer edge of the “bucket”, consisting of two stars, you need to lay a line to the first bright point - this is the North Star, the very tip of the handle of the “small bucket”, or Ursa Minor.

Now from the penultimate luminary on the handle of the “big bucket” a straight line is drawn to the North Star. The line is drawn at such a distance until the gaze rests on Cassiopeia. With enough attention this will be quite easy to do.

Constellation Cassiopeia. Drawing by dots as an exercise for children

Drawing with dots is a useful exercise that develops artistic talent in children. Drawing constellations by dots also broadens the child’s horizons and fuels his interest in the mysteries and beauty of the Universe. The starry sky overhead enchants and provides rich food for the imagination of both children and adults.

By connecting the stars, you can see how a complete image turns out, compare yourself with ancient people, and understand how their interpretation differs from the modern one. Each constellation is accompanied by a legend that is pleasant to listen to, like a fairy tale. This is how the stars become closer and dearer. By drawing constellations and learning their names during the day, the child remembers them better when he looks at them live at night. This gives impetus to systems thinking and artistic flair. By comparing what the constellation Cassiopeia looks like in the picture and in the sky, the child understands more deeply the difference between the abstract and the living.

The constellation Cassiopeia, the diagram of which was learned in childhood, will be remembered for a lifetime.

Adult beginners in astronomy should not neglect this exercise either. For example, a dotted drawing will help you study the constellation Cassiopeia quickly and easily; a trained eye will instantly find familiar outlines.

Notable objects

In 1752, the famous scientist Tycho Brahe noticed a brightly flaring star. However, after 16 months it went out. Perhaps the scientist observed a supernova explosion.

The most famous star cluster is playfully named Salt-and-Pepper. It can be seen with binoculars between the stars Shedar and Kaf. There are two galaxies in the constellation of the ancient queen, but, unfortunately, they are only accessible to telescopes. Cassiopeia lies in the thickness and is therefore rich in interesting objects for study, there are quasars, galaxies, dark, diffuse and For the keen astronomer, Cassiopeia will reveal all its shining treasures.

Very close to Cassiopeia is the constellation of her husband and co-ruler Kepheus; this combination of luminaries can be observed over the entire Northern Hemisphere. The rest of the legend's participants are nearby: Keith, Andromeda, Perseus. What does the constellation Cassiopeia look like surrounded by family and old enemies? It must be regal and dignified.

The Legend of Cassiopeia in Art

All the ancient legends that have reached us are reflected in books, paintings and films. The legend about the arrogant queen was no exception. Over the years, her image changed from a punished criminal to a proud beauty flying across the sky. Nowadays, the queen has become a symbol of a brave and regal woman. An artistic look at what the constellation Cassiopeia looks like, the pictures are shown in a variety of variations.

The combination of the magic of the stars and human drama has always inspired talented creators. The constellation Cassiopeia and the legend about it were mentioned in the films “The Green Mile”, “Youths in the Universe” and “The Langoliers”. Musical groups were named after her, paintings were painted in her honor.

The entire sky is shrouded in legends, which makes the stars closer and dearer to humanity.

Photographing constellations

With the advent of photographic equipment, the desire to capture pictures of the starry sky only grows stronger. have a mesmerizing effect. Many ordinary amateurs are sure that such beauty can only be created using such heavy-duty equipment, but in fact, almost every astronomer can take beautiful photographs.

Of course, what the constellation Cassiopeia looks like (a photo taken with specialized equipment) cannot be compared with household cameras, but by experimenting with shutter speed and other shooting parameters, you can achieve good results. For long exposures, a special tripod is required to compensate for the movement of the planet relative to the sky.

Cassiopeia (lat. Cassiopeia) is a constellation in the Northern Hemisphere of the sky.

The brightest stars of Cassiopeia (from 2.2 to 3.4 magnitudes) form a figure similar to the letters “M” or “W”.
The constellation covers an area of 598.4 square degrees in the sky and contains about 150 stars visible to the naked eye; 90 of them are brighter than 6m.
Most of the constellation lies in the Milky Way band and contains many open star clusters.

The constellation Cassiopeia is almost entirely immersed in the so-called summer Milky Way, which already suggests that this constellation can be very rich in deep space objects.

That’s right, there are more than two dozen remarkable open star clusters in Cassiopeia, so the main tool for us today will be powerful astronomical binoculars, or a high-aperture refractor with an aperture of at least 100 mm and a wide field of view. The constellation Cassiopeia is non-setting throughout almost the entire territory of Russia. Only in the very south of the country does a small part of it briefly disappear behind the horizon.

The myth of the constellation Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia was the wife of King Cepheus of Ethiopia (located next to her in the form of a constellation). She once boasted that she was superior in beauty to the Nerids (50 sea nymphs created by the titan Nereus). They got angry and asked Poseidon to punish her. He could not refuse, since he was married to one of them (Amphitrite). He sent Cetus, a sea monster depicted in the constellation Cetus, who was supposed to destroy the kingdom. The king asked the oracle for help and he advised him to give Poseidon his daughter Andromeda. With great difficulty they agreed and chained her to a rock. But at the last moment she was saved by Perseus, whom she later married. However, this is not the end. One of her admirers, Phineus, showed up at the wedding and accused her of treason, since only he had the right to marry her. A battle took place in which Perseus used the head of Medusa the Gorgon. But, since many people looked at her, the king and queen also turned to stone. Poseidon sent Cassiopeia and Cepheus to heaven. But he still punished her, since for half a year the constellation remains turned upside down. Most often she is depicted sitting on a throne and combing her hair.

How to find the constellation Cassiopeia?

The constellation Cassiopeia is usually found by the asterism Tron. It is best for someone to show this Throne - it is enough to see this configuration of stars in the sky once, and it will become recognizable forever!

The constellation Cassiopeia can be found independently as follows:

If you live approximately at the latitude of Moscow, then literally from the very beginning of autumn, when you go outside at about midnight local time, you will find the Tron asterism right above your head, at the zenith. All you have to do is correctly determine the angular dimensions of the throne and mentally build its pattern according to the stars.

The largest angular distance in the Tron asterism, between Seguin and Kaf, is about 13°. The angular distance between the thumb and index finger of an adult’s outstretched hand is 16-18°, so the Throne against the background of an outstretched hand will look approximately as shown in Fig. 5.

Estimation of the angular size of the Throne asterism in the constellation Cassiopeia using an outstretched arm. This image seems to emphasize the compact arrangement of the bright stars of Cassiopeia

An all-season way to determine the location of Cassiopeia is to “target” the beam through already known stars. The best “shot” will be obtained if you continue the line from Alioth (ε UMa) beyond the North Star (α UMa) and you will get an exact hit in Gamma Cassiopeia Navi, and if you look closely you will find that the Big Dipper and the Throne of Cassiopeia asterism are located centrally symmetrically relative to the North Star.

You need to mentally draw a line through Alioth Ursa Major and the North Star - it will lead to the brightest star Cassiopeia Navi. There are other options: from any of the stars of the handle of the Big Dipper, also draw lines to Polaris, all of them will lead to Cassiopeia. In such a position as in Figure 7, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia and the Throne can be seen on a late spring evening.

If you look at the Sun from Alpha Centauri, one of the stars closest to us, it will appear in Cassiopeia and will be visible as a 0.5 magnitude star.
In Stephen King's novel The Green Mile, the constellation Cassiopeia is mentioned: the novel's hero, John Coffey, calls the constellation "Cassie the Lady in the Rocking Chair", which reflects an American folklore reflection of the ancient myth. The constellation Cassiopeia is also mentioned in the novel “The Langoliers”.
The constellation Cassiopeia is also mentioned in the film “Intuition” (2001), where the main character Jonathan (John Cusack) tells the myth about the constellation to a girl named Sarah (Kate Beckinsale).
The star Alpha Cassiopeia is the goal of the expedition in the Soviet science fiction film-duology “Moscow - Cassiopeia / Youths in the Universe”, released by the film studio. Gorky in 1973–1974.
Cassiopeia is the name of the official fan club of the DBSK group
Cassiopeia, in the world of Middle-earth created by the writer J. R. R. Tolkien, corresponds to the constellation Wilvarin (Butterfly).
Flammarion in his book “The Starry Sky and Its Wonders” talks about the work of a certain English writer “The Star ψ Cassiopeia, an amazing history of one of the worlds in space, a description of the peculiar nature, habits, travels and literary works of the local inhabitants.” According to the author, the manuscript of the book was discovered in an empty fireball found in the Himalayas.

W-asterism

Cassiopeia includes an asterism that forms a memorable image of the constellation - W-asterism. It consists of the brightest stars of the constellation, ε (Segin), δ (Rukbah), γ (Navi), α (Shedar) and β (Kaf), forming a figure reminiscent of the Latin letter “W”.

Kaf(Beta Cassiopeia) is a subgiant or giant of spectral type F2 III-IV. It is 54.5 light years away from us. This is a Delta Scuti type variable star. Only brighter in this class Altair(star in constellation Aquila and 12th in the sky). This yellow-white star is 28 times brighter than the Sun and 4 times larger. It is currently in the process of cooling and will one day become a red giant.

Delta Scuti variables exhibit brightness variations due to radial and non-radial pulsations at the surface. These are usually giants or main sequence stars of spectral types ranging from A0 to F5.

Navi(Gamma Cassiopeia) is an eruptive variable star that serves as the prototype of the variable stars Gamma Cassiopeia. Exhibits irregular changes in brightness from magnitude 2.20 to magnitude 3.40. It is the central W-shaped star and the brightest in the constellation (now). It is a blue star (spectral type B0.5 IVe), located 610 light years away with 40,000 times the Sun's brightness and about 15 solar masses. Due to rapid rotation, it expands at the equator and creates a “maternity” disk of lost mass and material. The Chinese call it Qih - “whip”. She also has the nickname "Navi", which comes from astronaut Virgil Grissom. Navi is Ivan (in English Ivan is the middle name of an astronaut), written in reverse order. The astronauts used the star as a guide.

Ruckbach(Delta Cassiopeia) is a double star with a period of 460 days. Belongs to spectral class A5. It is 99 light years distant and has an apparent magnitude between 2.68 and 2.74. It ranks fourth in brightness in the cluster. The name comes from the Arabic word for “knee”. Sometimes she is called Xora.

Rho Cassiopeia– yellow hypergiant (a rare type, since there are only 7 of them in the Milky Way). It belongs to the spectral class G2Ia0e and is located 11,650 light years away. One of the brightest stars. Despite the distance, it can be viewed without technical equipment. 550,000 times brighter than the Sun with an absolute magnitude of 7.5. The apparent visual magnitude ranges from 4.1 to 6.2. It is a semi-regular variable with huge spikes every 50 years (causing the brightness to change). In 2000-2001, the star ejected about 10,000 Earth masses in a single outburst. Scientists believe it exploded as a supernova because it used up most of its nuclear fuel. But if this is so, then the light from the explosion has not yet reached us.

V509 Cassiopeia– G-type supergiant at 7800 light years. The yellow-white star is a semi-regular variable. Luminosity varies within 4.75-5.5.

Notable objects

Star of Tycho Brahe. In 1572, Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe noticed the sudden appearance of a bright new star in the constellation Cassiopeia, near κ Cas. The nova gradually weakened and was no longer visible after sixteen months. Today we know that it was a supernova - one of the last stellar explosions observed in the Milky Way galaxy. Located about 7,500 light-years away, the supernova remnant is nearly 20 light-years in diameter.
Cassiopeia A. This constellation contains one of the most powerful sources of galactic radio emission - Cassiopeia A (Cas A). The flux of radio waves from this region of the sky is many times more powerful than the radio emission from Tycho Brahe's star. In 1951, photographic plates sensitive to red light captured fragments of a small radio nebula associated with Cassiopeia A. Based on the rate of expansion of the nebula, it was calculated that the explosion that gave birth to it probably occurred in 1667. In the sky, this object is located between β Cassiopeia and δ Cepheus.

Other interesting objects in the constellation include:

Open star clusters M52 (NGC 7654), M103 (NGC 581), NGC 457 and NGC 7789,
Dwarf elliptical galaxies NGC 147 and NGC 185 are satellites of the Andromeda Nebula,
Diffuse nebula NGC 281
The giant gas sphere is the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635).
Nebulae IC 1805, IC 1848 and IC 1795, which are associated with radio sources W4, W5 and W3, respectively.