Cassiopeia, cepheus, andromeda, perseus, pegasus, and cetus representing the monster. The constellation home page sponsored by the american association of amateur astronomers. It is home to the perseid meteor shower which peaks around august 9 and can produce up to 60100 meteors per hour. 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. Folios from the kitab suwar alkawakib althabita book of the. The story of perseus 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. The myth of perseus tells how he was sent on a quest to bring back a gorgons head to king polydectes. The neighboring constellations are andromeda, aries, auriga, camelopardalis, cassiopeia. The constellations and greek mythology page 2 greek legends. On his way home, perseus came across the monster, cetus, getting ready to eat andromeda.
Perseus constellation simple english wikipedia, the free. Positioned north of the ecliptic plane, the constellation of perseus was. It was named after the legendary hero who rescued andromeda from the monster, cetus, by bringing back the head of medusa to turn it into stone. Historically however, the term was also used to refer to a perceived pattern formed by bright stars with apparent proximity to one another, and this practice is still common today. The constellation perseus, the hero, can be seen in late summer and autumn in the northern hemisphere. In 2006, perseus became the location of the largest supernova on record when a star 100200 times more massive than the sun exploded. This unaided eye constellation sky map has the following limits. 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.
It is one of the 48 ancient constellations listed by the 2ndcentury astronomer ptolemy, and among the 88 modern constellations defined by the international astronomical union iau. The boundary of the perseus constellation contains 7 stars that host known exoplanets. In neoassyrian babylonia 911605 bc, the constellation of perseus was known as the old man constellation su. On his feet are winged sandals, given to him as a gift from mercury. The constellation is circumpolar, so it is visible throughout the year, but best in winter and spring. Perseus looks likes an inverted y and contains two of the most beautiful open clusters which sit side by side. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. Many of its stars are immersed in the faint glow of our galaxy, the milky way. Perseus then freed the beautiful andromeda and, claiming her as his bride, took her home with him as his queen to rule. The ecliptic also passes through the constellation ophiuchus, which doesnt have an associated zodiac sign.
Perseus, the hero, arcs high overhead in fall and early winter. 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. Perseus, the hero, can be found in the sky during the winter in the northern hemisphere. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Perseus is the 24th largest constellation in the sky, occupying an area of 615 square degrees. The constellation was named after the mythical hero perseus. It lies between the constellations giraffe, aries, cassiopeia, triangle and charioteer. The layout of this book does not follow the layout of the originals. In fact, if you look at perseus under dark skies, you may be able to see three of the spiral arms that enfold the milky way. Perseus is perhaps best known for the perseid meteor shower, one of the best annual meteor showers, whose radiant lies close to.
It is visible at latitudes between 90 degrees and 35 degrees. 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. Perseus constellation perseus, named after the greek mythological hero perseus, is a constellation in the northern sky. Andromeda library of constellations peters, stephanie true on. Constellation perseus the champion, is a northern constellation sitting above constellation taurus and below constellation cassiopeia, and between constellation andromeda and constellation auriga u. Content is available under the creative commons attributionsharealike license. With a little imagination, you can see the image of a man in the stars. Aries, the ram, is one of the most famous constellations from antiquity, being as it is, also a sign of the zodiac.
Perseus flew on until he spotted the beautiful maiden andromeda, who was chained to the rocky shore as a sacrifice to a sea monster. It is represented by perseus holding a sword above his head in his right hand and the decapitated head of the gorgon medusa in his left. Instructions on using this constellation sky map on the above constellation map click on adjacent contellations to view them. Wikimedia commons has media related to perseus constellation. The constellation cancer, the crab, is not only part of the zodiacal family but as well associated with the hercules family. Perseus promptly fell in love with her, killed the monster, and married the princess. Constellation perseus astrology perseus constellation gives an intelligent, strong, bold. Like menkib, the system is very far away at a distance of 1,125 light years, and shines with a combined magnitude of 3. Ross exton of the live science team shows you how to find the constellation, along with algol the demon star.
Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, being named after the greek mythological hero. It is prominent from dark sites, having 16 stars of fourth magnitude or brighter. With the help of hermes wings and athenas shield, perseus killed medusa without looking at her. As a small side note, it is interesting that cepheus shows up again in greek mythology when he and 17 of his sons were killed by hercules. It is also said that perseus, being thirsty, picked up a mushroom myces, and drinking the water that flowed from it, named the site 3. Aug 01, 2003 andromeda library of constellations peters, stephanie true on. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Luckily, perseus came on the scene just in the nick of time and killed the sea monster and saved the princess.
Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, being named after the greek mythological hero perseus. The constellation perseus can be seen in late summer and autumn in the northern hemisphere. Perseus is a northern constellation which appears highest in the evening sky in the months around november. Star map with constellations of andromeda, perseus. The heavenly w, the constellation cassiopeia sometimes called the lady of the chair is one of those constellations which can be easily found in the northern sky. Constellation perseus the constellations on sea and sky.
Perseus was the son of the greek god zeus and the mortal princess danae. Perseus has been recognized as a constellation for at least 2,000 years. Constellations guide in modern astronomy, a constellation is a clearly defined area of the sky. 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. It was first charted by the greek astronomer ptolemy in the 2nd century. Other constellations in the perseus group include andromeda, cassiopeia and pegasus. Star map with constellations of andromeda, perseus, and. Homer, iliad, book 3, line 1 perseus digital library. In order to present a constellation per section, the translator has given each section the format of 1 summary of eratosthenes, 2 extract from hyginus, 3 commentary by translator. Medusa was one of the three hideous sisters, who had tusks, hands of brass. The mythology of andromeda also sees the constellation referred to as the chained maiden, cepheis, meaning daughter of cepheus, and persea, meaning the wife of perseus. Perseus, constellation in the northern sky at about 4 hours right ascension and 40 north in declination. In the sky, perseus lies near the constellations andromeda, cepheus, cassiopeia andromedas mother, cetus, and pegasus.
How to find perseus night sky guide we the curious. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. He has a sort of triangular body, with two legs and feet that look like they are curling up towards the head. Perseus spans 28 degrees of the zodiac in the signs of taurus and gemini, and contains 12 named fixed stars. Perseus grandfather, acrisius, the king of argos, was warned by an oracle that he would be killed by his grandson. In greek mythology, perseus was the son of zeus and danae, daughter of acrisius, the king of argos. The translation of phaenomena by aratus is given as a section at the back of the book. Perseus was a greek hero most famous for his slaying of medusa. Perseeus the constellation of perseus, the hero son of zeus, is best viewed in winter during the month of december. 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. Perseus is near several constellations whose names derive from the adventures of the greek hero, known as the perseus group.
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. Perseus, named efter the greek meethological hero perseus, is a constellation in the northren sky. This page was last changed on 17 november 2014, at 05. Aries is generally considered to be the representation of crius chrysomallus, the golden ram that rescued phrixos and helle from harm at the hands of ino, and started to fly them to colchis. Constellation perseusconstellation perseus named after the. Become a member of the american association of amateur astronomers. Perseus is a constellation located in the northern hemisphere that is visible during december. Back to constellations home page chris dolans home page. All the stars are beyond naked eye visibility, and all the planets are gas giants unlikely to harbour life. Its the center from which the annual perseid meteor shower, a midsummer spectacle in the northern hemisphere, radiates.
There are six known planetary systems in the constellation perseus. Murray 1 now when they were marshalled, the several companies with their captains, the trojans came on with clamour and with a cry like birds, even as the clamour of cranes ariseth before the face of heaven, when they flee from wintry storms and measureless rain, and with clamour fly toward the streams of ocean, bearing slaughter and death to pigmy men. In the winter sky of the northern hemisphere, perseus can be seen flanked by taurus, aries, andromeda and cassiopeia. The trojan army marches from the city gates and advances to meet the achaeans. Neighbouring constellations to andromeda include cassiopeia, cepheus, cetus and perseus, all related to the myth of andromeda. If anyone looked at medusas face they would turn to stone. The constellations and greek mythology greek legends and myths. Help support the development of the constellation home page. A couple of interesting deep sky objectscan be seen in perseus. Astronomy, constellations, greek mythology, zodiac, astrolabe, cultural. The perseus family includes several constellations associated with the perseus myth. Paris, the trojan prince who precipitated the war by stealing the beautiful helen from her husband, menelaus, challenges the achaeans to single combat with any of their warriors. Su persei, the brightest of the three, has an apparent. Perseus is a constellation in the northern hemisphere.