You will see there a group of five stars forming a 'lazy M'. Starting straight overhead at the zenith, measure 2 palm-widths down towards the northeast. In Arabian countries this constellation is called Caph, which is also the name of beta Cas.Īfter dark in Fall months, turn your back on the direction the sun went down and then shift a bit northward you will be looking to the north-east. It has been known in ancient Japan as the 'Yamagata Star' and 'Ikari Star.' It contains about 370 variable stars and the large variety of clusters and binaries make it easily viewable with even a small telescope. It is shaped like a W, with a makeup of five second- and third-magnitude stars, and has been a well-known constellation since ancient times. It is located between DECL=+50 and DECL=+60, RA=23h and RA=3h.Ĭassiopeia is one of the stars that orbits the Polestar throughout the year. Sweeping this region with binoculars (or even an opera glas) is rewarding (especially the region around delta Cas). It is assiociated with the Perseus constellation family.

This beautiful constellation at the edge of the Milky Way has definitely the shape of a 'W'. The star n Cas is a nearby (19.4 ly) binary star comprising of a yellow Sun-like dwarf and an orange dwarf star. It is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also one of the 48 listed by Ptolemy.Ĭassiopeia contains two stars visible to the naked eye that rank among the most luminous in the galaxy: p Cas and V509 Cas. Cassiopeia is a northern constellation which greek mythology considered to represent a vain queen.

The constellation cassiopeia