The first decan is the serpent serpens, which is wrapped around a man. The etymology, mythology, and symbolism of the constellation. In greek mythology this constellation represented the hero perseus, who slew. The little dumbbell and california nebulae are located within the perseus constellation. The perseid meteorite shower, the most impressive in the sky, does not actually come from the constellation perseus but is the rubble left behind from the comet swifttuttle, the supposed parent of the perseids. Andromeda is one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2ndcentury greco roman astronomer. Other constellations in the perseus group include andromeda, cassiopeia and pegasus. Comet swifttuttle is within our solar system and orbits the sun roughly every years. Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, being named after the greek mythological hero. Perseus contains between 6 and 22 stars in its primary asterism and houses 65 bayer flamsteed designated stars within its confines. The constellation of cassiopeia, with its typical w shape enables you to locate the radiant of the perseids meteor shower source. Perseus is near several constellations whose names derive from the adventures of the greek hero, known as the perseus group. Homer, odyssey, book 23, line 1 perseus digital library.
A large parts of the northern skies are connected by the legend of perseus. Perseus saw the beautiful maiden in distress, like a true champion he went to. A tidy way of connecting stories with astronomy so that by learning one the other becomes a story board in the skies. In the winter sky of the northern hemisphere, perseus can be seen flanked by taurus, aries, andromeda and cassiopeia. How to find perseus night sky guide we the curious. Ross exton of the live science team shows you how to find the constellation, along with algol the demon star. Homer, odyssey, book 23, line 181 perseus digital library. Several of the neighboring constellations perseus, cassiopeia, cetus, and cepheus. Stars of the summer include particularly perseus, who gives his name to the meteor shower. Perseus, constellation in the northern sky at about 4 hours right ascension and. Bible, where it is referred to in the book of job, thus giving it the name jobs star. List of stars by constellation ambiguity edit some sources, including starry night planetarium software, an atlas, 5 and a web site 6 attribute the name atik to zeta persei instead of nearby omicron persei. In the sky, perseus lies near the constellations andromeda, cepheus, cassiopeia andromedas mother, cetus, and pegasus.
The journey of perseus through the constellations youtube. Perseus and andromeda married and had six children. Positioned north of the ecliptic plane, the constellation of perseus was one of. The story of this greek hero is marked by fate and prophecy. Because in the sky the head is on one side of the man and the tail on the other, it is often considered as two constellations, the serpents head serpens caput and the serpents tail serpents cauda.
737 322 493 785 782 1505 599 1045 1454 795 296 510 261 765 1052 417 494 1155 736 788 1479 626 259 1254 1372 1056 1390 1082 804 1288 53 1400 235 839 1318 1277 1034