6/23/2023 0 Comments Cassiopeia constellation starsSpitzer infrared image (NASA/JPL-Caltech)Īrab astronomers also associated Cassiopeia’s stars with various figures from their mythology. In Indian astronomy, Cassiopeia was associated with the mythological figure Sharmishtha – the daughter of the great Devil (Daitya) King Vrishparva and a friend to Devavani (Andromeda). While Kappa, Eta, and Mu Cassopeiae formed a constellation called the Bridge of the Kings, when combined with Alpha and Beta Cassiopeiae – they formed the great chariot Wang-Liang. In Chinese astronomy, the stars forming the constellation Cassiopeia are found among the areas of the Purple Forbidden enclosure, the Black Tortoise of the North, and the White Tiger of the West.Ĭhinese astronomers also identified various figures in its major stars. It also figures prominently in the astronomical and astrological traditions of the Polynesian, Indian, Chinese and Arab cultures. Since Poseidon thought that Cassiopeia should not escape punishment, he placed her in the heavens in such a position that, as she circles the celestial pole, she is upside-down for half the time.Ĭassiopeia was one of the traditional constellations included by Ptolemy in his 2nd century CE tract, the Almagest. But the hero Perseus arrived in time, saved Andromeda, and ultimately became her husband. In either case, trying to save their kingdom, Cepheus and Cassiopeia consulted a wise oracle, who told them that the only way to appease the sea gods was to sacrifice their daughter.Īccordingly, Andromeda was chained to a rock at the sea’s edge and left there to helplessly await her fate at the hands of Cetus. This led the Nerieds to unleash the wrath of Poseidon upon the kingdom of Ethiopia.Accounts differ as to whether Poseidon decided to flood the whole country or direct the sea monster Cetus to destroy it. Credit: Sidney Hall/United States Library of Congress Cassiopeia in her chair, as depicted in Urania’s Mirror. ![]() This led to her downfall, as she boasted that both she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than all the Nereids – the nymph-daughters of the sea god Nereus. Her name in Greek means “she whose words excel”, and she was renowned for her beauty but also her arrogance. Because the constellation is in a circumpolar position (meaning that it seems to revolve centered around the pole star, Polaris), Cassiopeia is at times suspended upside down in the sky in a very undignified position.In mythology, Cassiopeia the wife of King Cepheus and the queen of the mythological Phoenician realm of Ethiopia. As a punishment for her treachery, her constellation (a zig-zag shape like an "M" or "W") is supposed to represent Cassiopeia either chained to her throne (in an ironic reference to her daughter's ordeal) or stuffed into a basket. Poseidon is supposed to have set images of Cepheus and Cassiopeia in the sky. He picked up Medusa's head (which he was bringing back as proof that he killed her) and when his attackers looked at it, they turned to stone. Perseus fought off a number of them but was greatly outnumbered. In some versions of the myth, Cassiopeia summoned Agenor, who rushed into the wedding party with armed men. Johannes Hevelius' Cassiopeia from Uranographia (1690)Īndromeda wanted to keep their promise and insisted that the wedding be held immediately. They had already agreed to marry her to Cephus's uncle (his father's twin brother Agenor), and once she had been rescued, they tried to break their promise to Perseus. Cepheus and Cassiopeia agreed reluctantly. Perseus offered to kill the sea monster and rescue Andromeda in return for her hand in marriage. ![]() Perseus was returning from carrying out his oath to kill the Gorgon, Medusa. She was rescued by the hero Perseus who had seen her chained to the cliff and had fallen instantly in love with her. ![]() Andromeda was chained to a sea cliff to be eaten by the monster. Cassiopeia's husband, King Cepheus consulted an oracle, who told him that the only way to appease Poseidon and stop the monster was to sacrifice Andromeda. ![]() Poseidon sent a flood carrying a sea monster to destroy the kingdom. The Nereids begged Poseidon to punish Cassiopeia. Thetis, and Poseidon's wife Amphitrite (an alternate sea goddess), were also Nereids, so Cassiopeia's boast was an insult to the gods. She boasted that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the Nereids, the 50 sea nymph attendants of Thetis, the sea goddess, and Poseidon, the sea god. The story behind the name: Cassiopeia is named after the queen of a country on the northern coast of Africa, Aethiopia (not modern Ethiopia).
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