The annual perseid meteor shower peaks around august 12 or. Its the center from which the annual perseid meteor shower, a midsummer spectacle in the northern hemisphere, radiates. A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of stars forms an imaginary outline or pattern, typically representing an animal, mythological person or creature, or an inanimate object. Perseus he was the son of jupiter and danae, and is best known for his killing of the gorgon medusa. Very enjoyable, good reading, lots of information that was new to me, even though i have been teaching about the sky for a long time. There is a strong hebrew tradition that each of the twelve tribes of israel was associated with one of the twelve constellations of the zodiac. Relating the twelve tribes of israel to the twelve zodiac constellations helps unravel the mystery of the lords sacred calendars.
Go to a dark location and look in the darkest part of the sky, no matter what direction that is. The zodiac is a group of 12 constellations through which the ecliptic and the apparent motion of the sun pass throughout the year. Constellation perseus the champion, is a northern constellation sitting above constellation taurus and below constellation cassiopeia, and between constellation andromeda and constellation auriga u. Gk persei subsequently faded to magnitude 12 or, but had occasional outbursts of 2 to 3. The palace of the sun turns out to be made entirely of precious metals, and far superior to anything featured on mtvs cribs ovid tells us that what was most stupendously awesome, however, was the artwork on the doors.
The constellations andromeda and perseus, along with pegasus, casseopiea and cepheus, are richly intertwined in mythology, but are vastly divergent in the objects they present to amateur astronomers. The 88 modern constellations contain 30 inanimate objects, 23 animals, 15 people 12 men and 3 women, 10 water creatures, 9 birds, and 1 insect. A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of stars forms an imaginary outline or pattern, typically representing an animal, mythological person or creature, or an inanimate object the origins of the earliest constellations likely go back to prehistory. 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. In ancient times, people thought that the sun, moon, and stars were gods. Now even the messenger of the gods, sent by jupiter himself. The myth of perseus tells how he was sent on a quest to bring back a gorgons head to king polydectes. Located north of the celestial equator, it is named for andromeda, daughter of cassiopeia, in the greek myth, who was chained to a rock to be eaten by the sea monster cetus. While perseus lies along the milky way, and offers many sparkling open clusters and diffuse nebulae, andromeda lies away from. The mythology of the night sky is intended primarily for amateur astronomers who would like to know the mythology behind the names of constellations and planets. In 2006, perseus became the location of the largest supernova on record when a star 100200 times more massive than the sun exploded. People used them to relate stories of their beliefs, experiences, creation, or mythology.
Perseus the breaker, two comets and the head of satan. Perseus was the son of danae, daughter of king acrisius. The shapes you see all depend on your point of view. Or trace with pointed wand the cycled heaven, and hail the constellations as they rise. Bible, where it is referred to in the book of job, thus giving it the name jobs star. Destined to become the great grandfather of the famous hercules, perseus had a rough start in life. Zodiac constellations zodiac is a greek word meaning pertaining to animals, with the zodiac constellations included in the overall list of 88 constellations. Perseus, constellation in the northern sky at about 4 hours right ascension and 40 north in declination.
Andromeda is a bright constellation, visible all year round in the northern hemisphere circumpolar. Andromeda was one of the original 48 constellations formulated by ptolemy in his 2ndcentury almagest, in which it was defined as a specific pattern of stars. Either the page is no longer relevant or consensus on its purpose has become unclear. The constellation perseus can be seen in late summer and autumn in the northern. Perseus has been recognized as a constellation for at least 2,000 years. Perseus had many types of variable stars, many of which are too small to notice. The origins of the earliest constellations likely go back to prehistory. The characters in his story are represented by six constellations that occupy a substantial part of the sky. Perseus was a greek hero most famous for his slaying of medusa.
Ptolemy described perseus and 47 other constellations in the second century. Perseus the hero perseus celestial atlas by alexander jamieson 1822. The constellation perseus represents the greek hero perseus in the sky and is one of the six constellations associated with the myth of perseus. Cassiopeia and perseus in northeast on autumn evenings earthsky. Perseus constellation perseus, named after the greek mythological hero perseus, is a constellation in the northern sky. Jun 01, 2016 andromeda is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2ndcentury grecoroman astronomer ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. With the help of hermes wings and athenas shield, perseus killed medusa without looking at her. Constellation perseus the constellations on sea and sky. On his way home, perseus came across the monster, cetus, getting ready to eat andromeda.
Where to look in skythe zodiac constellations lie in a band along the ecliptic that is best viewed when due south of you. 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. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Many societies saw patterns among the stars with gods and goddesses or stories from their culture.
It represents andromedas head in western mythology, however, the stars traditional arabic names alpheratz and sirrah, from the phrase surrat alfaras sometimes translated. Several of the neighboring constellations perseus, cassiopeia, cetus, and cepheus also represent characters in the perseus myth. Perseus is a constellation located in the northern hemisphere that is visible during december. The constellation perseus is located next to andromeda, the constellation that represents his wife. It is home to the perseid meteor shower which peaks around august 9 and can produce up to 60100 meteors per hour. The zodiac constellations are helpful in locating planets in the night sky since the planets wander in the zone of the zodiac.
Basic information about andromeda andromeda mythology andromeda constellation position stars in the andromeda. Perseeus the constellation of perseus, the hero son of zeus, is best viewed in winter during the month of december. The constellation depicting perseus lies in a prominent part of the milky way, which is perhaps why aratus termed him duststained. The constellations grus, pavo, phoenix and tucana are collectively known as the southern birds. Leo, virgo, libra, scorpius, sagittarius, capricornus, aquarius, pisces, aries, taurus, gemini, and cancer. In classical greek mythology, perseus beheaded the snakeheaded medusa to save the princess andromeda from a nasty sea monster. Andromeda is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2ndcentury grecoroman astronomer ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations. Today, its called perseus the hero or simply perseus per. Other constellations in the perseus group include andromeda, cassiopeia and pegasus.
Folios from the kitab suwar alkawakib althabita book of the constellations of the fixed stars of alsufi late 15th century iran ink and gold on paper. Aug 09, 2010 perseus is in the northeastern sky around midnight. Ross exton of the live science team shows you how to find the constellation, along with algol the demon star. Perseus constellation lies in the northern sky, next to andromeda. Constellation perseusconstellation perseus named after the.
Perseus, angered by the king, took out medusas head and turned him into a stone. Vergil aeneid 1 17 in latin, with adjustable running. The gorgons were three sisters, only one of whom, medusa, was mortal. And alpheratz, sirrah is the brightest star in this constellation. Perseus is one of the oldest constellations, having been cataloged by the greek. It deals with the 48 constellations identified by the ancient greek astronomer ptolemy, as well as all the planets of our solar system and their moons, which are named after roman gods. The constellation perseus occupies an area of 615 square degrees and contains three stars with known planets. Positioned north of the ecliptic plane, the constellation of perseus was.
Constellation perseus astrology perseus constellation gives an intelligent, strong, bold. Some version of these constellations are found in traditions around the world, for this band around the celestial sphere includes the ecliptic, the apparent path of the sun through the year. Pages in category perseus constellation the following 148 pages are in this category, out of 148 total. The 12 traditional signs of the zodiac occupy an 18 wide band of sky centred on the ecliptic plane, which is the path the sun, moon, and planets seem to travel in the sky. The mythology of the night sky meet your next favorite book. This is the list of notable stars in the constellation perseus, sorted by decreasing brightness. If anyone looked at medusas face they would turn to stone. Jan 01, 2011 the mythology of the night sky is intended primarily for amateur astronomers who would like to know the mythology behind the names of constellations and planets. Perseus 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.
The boundary of the perseus constellation contains 7 stars that host known exoplanets. The constellation s brightest star, alpha gruis, is also known as alnair and appears as a 1. 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. But thou, 0 roman, learn with sovereign sway to rule the nations. It is an a0p class binary star with an overall apparent visual magnitude of 2. How to find perseus night sky guide we the curious. Beta gruis is a red giant variable star with a minimum magnitude of 2. This page is currently inactive and is retained for historical reference. 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. To revive discussion, seek broader input via a forum such as the village pump. The origin for this constellation is ancient, ptolemy named her for our western hemisphere over 2000 years ago. Perseus is in the northeastern sky around midnight. I had never heard of some of the constellations listed.
A few drops of medusas blood fell into the sea, mixed with the foam, and gave birth to pegasus, the flying horse, who later played a part in the story of another hero, bellerophon. Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, being named after the greek mythological hero. There are several versions of how acrisius and perseus came to be in the same place at the same time, but in all of them, acrisius is accidentally killed by a discus thrown. Greek mythology is full of heroes, but the greatest of them all was perseus. The constellation of perseus, the hero son of zeus, is best viewed in winter during the month of december. The second brightest star is algol with a magnitude of 2. Originally a beautiful maiden, medusa was transformed into a hideous monster by the goddess minerva. Perseus is near several constellations whose names derive from the adventures of the greek hero, known as the perseus group. In the back, it shows you a map of where to look in the sky to find each constellation, along with the time of year to look. There, vulcan, the god of fire and technology, had created a picture of the world through metalworking.
Constellations are formed of bright stars which appear close to each other on the sky, but are really far apart in space. The two open clusters are right beside each other at magnitude 6. Beta persei algol is a notable ea type eclipsing binary, changing from 2. Perseus grandfather, acrisius, the king of argos, was warned by an oracle that he would be killed by his grandson. Perseus contains a number of stars brighter than magnitude 4.
Traditionally, the star algol is the most malevolent star of the heavens. Bullinger in his fascinating book the witness of the stars, tells us about the meaning of the constellations of the zodiac, and the stars that comprise them. The best time will be after midnight on the night of august 12, but any night this week after midnight should be good. Each has some background regarding who named them and some of the legends surrounding each. Dec 12, 2001 the constellations offers a lot of information, good star stories, especially for teaching beginning astronomy classes. This fascinating narrative recounts the history of astronomy and, with more than 100 fullcolor illustrations, it shows readers how to find the planets and constellations in the night sky. It is located near several other constellations named after ancient greek legends surrounding. Perseus saw the beautiful maiden in distress, like a true champion he went to her aid. Star chart of constellations cassiopeia above and perseus below, with stars mirfak and algol labeled. Constellation perseusconstellation perseus named after. Perseus spans 28 degrees of the zodiac in the signs of taurus and gemini, and contains 12 named fixed stars.
Andromeda is among the 48 constellations that ptolemy, the secondcentury grecoroman astronomer listed and until now is recognized among the 88 constellations in existence. In any case, betelgeuse is considered the 12thbrightest star in the sky. Book 1 book 2 book 3 book 4 book 5 book 6 book 7 book 8 book 9 book 10 book 11 book 12 17 811 12 33 3449 5064 6575 7680 8191 92101 102123 1241 2141 142156 157179 180197 198207 208222 223253 254296 297304 3053 314324 325334 335342 343371 372386 387401 402409 410417 418440 441465 466493 494519 520543 544558. Most of the constellations with which we are familiar come from ancient. 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. Great book that tells the stories of the constellations. The author recounts the legends connected with many constellations, including aquarius, aries, cancer, orion, and others. Guide to the constellations this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. Indeed because that your wish is known to me, great jupiter, reluctant i abandoned both turnus and the lands.
Perseus looks likes an inverted y and contains two of the most beautiful open clusters which sit side by side. Perseus then saved his mother from marrying polydectes by turning the king and his court to stone with the head of medusa. The constellation s brightest star, alpha persei, is a bit brighter. Constellation perseus astrology perseus constellation.
Perseus was the son of the greek god zeus and the mortal princess danae. While perseus lies along the milky way, and offers many sparkling open clusters and diffuse nebulae, andromeda lies away from our galaxys plane. In the 19th century, the constellation was known as perseus et caput medusae perseus and the head of medusa. This beautifully illustrated book helps readers navigate their way around the night sky as they learn the significance of heavenly bodies. 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.
Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, being named after the greek mythological hero perseus. Basic information about andromeda andromeda mythology andromeda constellation. It includes the famous constellations of leo, virgo, libra, scorpius, sagittarius, capricornus, aquarius, pisces, aries, taurus, gemini, and cancer. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the aeneid and what it means. Each cluster covers more than 12 degree of sky, with ngc869 being the brighter and richer of the pair. Discover the secrets in the stars 1 by kerrod, robin isbn.
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