Cepheus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after Cepheus, a king of Aethiopia in Greek mythology. Cepheus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the second century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 constellations in the modern times.

Where is the constellation Cepheus located?

The Cepheus constellation is situated within the Northern Hemisphere's fourth quadrant (NQ4). It covers 588 square degrees of this area of sky, putting it in the top 30 largest constellations.

What time of year can you see Cepheus?

Cepheus is a circumpolar constellation of the northern hemisphere and is easily seen at visible at latitudes between +90° and -10° and best seen during culmination during the month of November. For the unaided eye observer, start first with Cepheus' brightest star – Alpha.

Is the Cepheus constellation north or south?

Cepheus, constellation in the northern sky, at about 23 hours right ascension and 70° north in declination. It is shaped like a box with a triangle on top. The brightest star, Alderamin (from the Arabic for “right arm”), has a magnitude of 2.5.

Is Cepheus the King of Ethiopians?

Cepheus was the mythological king of Ethiopia. He was deemed worthy of a place in the sky because he was fourth in descent from the nymph Io, one of the loves of Zeus – and having Zeus as a relative was always an advantage when it came to being commemorated among the constellations.

How to find Cepheus the King Constellation

23 related questions found

Who is Cepheus in the Bible?

Family. Cepheus was the son of either Belus or Phoenix. If Belus was his father, he had Anchinoe, daughter of Nilus as mother, and Danaus, Aegyptus and Phineus as brothers. He was called Iasid Cepheus, pertaining to his Argive ancestry through King Iasus of Argus, father of Io.

Who is the king of Ethiopia in Perseus?

Andromeda and Perseus married and one of their children, Perses, became the king of Ethiopia when Cepheus died.

What major stars make up Cepheus?

The Principal Stars of Cepheus Constellation

• Alderamin. Alderamin is the brightest blue-white star. ...
• Alfirk (Beta Cephei) It is the second brightest star and a very slow rotator. ...
• Alrai (Gamma Cephei) The third brightest star of Cepheus Constellation is Alrai. ...
• Delta Cephe. ...
• Garnet Star (Mu Cephei)

What does the name Cepheus mean?

Of Greek origin, Cepheus means “father of Andromeda.” Cepheus Name Origin: Greek.

What is the brightest star of Cygnus?

The brightest star in Cygnus is Deneb, the 19th brightest star in the sky. Along with Vega and Altair, Deneb is one of the stars of the prominent asterism, the Summer Triangle.

Can you see Cepheus with naked eye?

It is visible to observers at latitudes between +90° and -10°, making Cepheus circumpolar for most observers in the Northern Hemisphere, meaning it never sets and can be seen all year. ... To find Cepheus, carry out a naked-eye search for its asterism.

What is the constellation that looks like a house?

Tonight, see if you can find the constellation Cepheus, which represents a King. This constellation is faint, but its distinctive shape makes it easy to locate if you look in the north on August and September evenings.

What are the four stars that can become Earth's Northern Star?

If you trace the path of the axis in the sky, you will find that Polaris, Vega, Thuban, and Alpha Cephei all fall on or very close to it. So when the earth's axis is at a point on the path near Vega, Vega becomes the North Star while Thuban is the North Star when the axis is near it on the path.

What constellation is Scorpio in?

Scorpius, (Latin: “Scorpion”) also called Scorpio, in astronomy, zodiacal constellation lying in the southern sky between Libra and Sagittarius, at about 16 hours 30 minutes right ascension and 30° south declination.

What is the brightest star in Coma?

Beta Comae Berenices, Brightest Star in Coma Berenices

The brightest star in Coma Berenices is Beta Comae Berenices and is located about 357.28 light years from the Sun. The star has a apparent magnitude of 4.23 but an absolute magnitude of 4.43 when the star is viewed from a distance of 10 Parsecs or 32.6 Light Years.

What is the symbol for Ophiuchus?

Ophiuchus (/ɒfiˈjuːkəs/) is a large constellation straddling the celestial equator. Its name is from the Greek Ὀφιοῦχος (Ophioukhos, "serpent-bearer"), and it is commonly represented as a man grasping a snake (symbol ⛎, Unicode U+26CE). The serpent is represented by the constellation Serpens.

What is the story behind the constellation Cepheus?

The constellation represents Cepheus, the king of Ethiopia and Cassiopeia's husband in Greek mythology. Zeus placed him in the sky after his tragic end because he was descended from one of Zeus' loves, the nymph Io.

Who named Cepheus?

Cepheus is one of the 48 constellations identified by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century. It was named after the king of Ethiopia. Cepheus was the husband of Cassiopeia and the father of Andromeda. All three are immortalized in the night sky as constellations.

What does Cerberus mean in Greek?

Latinized form of the Greek Κέρβερος (Kerberos), which possibly meant "spotted". In Greek myth this was the name of the three-headed dog that guarded the entrance to Hades.

Is Great Bear a constellation?

Have you heard of the constellation called Ursa Major? It's also called the Great Bear and is one of the constellations listed by Greek astronomer and mathematician Ptolemy, in the second century AD. There is also another constellation near it called Ursa Minor or Little Bear.

Who saved Andromeda from the sea monster?

Perseus, in Greek mythology, the slayer of the Gorgon Medusa and the rescuer of Andromeda from a sea monster. Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danaë, the daughter of Acrisius of Argos.

Who is Cetus in Greek mythology?

The story behind the name:Cetus was a whale-like sea monster in Greek mythology, sent by the sea god Poseidon to wreak havoc on the kingdom of ancient Aethiopia. ... Cepheus was instructed to sacrifice his daughter Andromeda to the monster, and she was quickly chained to an ocean cliff for Cetus to devour.

Is the North Star a red giant?

Polaris appears dim to us only because of its immense distance from Earth. In reality, the star is a behemoth — a yellow supergiant that's in a short-lived phase before the star balloons into a red supergiant.

What will be the North Star in 13000 years?

In about 13,000 years, the NCP will be close to Vega, the brightest star in Lyra the Harp. So, in the remote future, Vega will be the North Star. As is true with Errai, Vega will never be as close to the NCP as Polaris, it is about six times brighter.