The Nereids were outraged by this proclamation and demanded revenge. Poseidon, to appease his vengeful daughters, sent flood waters along with the sea monster Cetus, to destroy King Cepheus’ kingdom. Cetus wreaked havoc along the coastline; death and destruction followed in his wake. Desperate to protect his land and people, Cepheus sought the help of Ammon, the Oracle of Zeus.

Ammon told Cepheus that the only way to stop the brutal devastation of his kingdom was to sacrifice his virgin daughter Andromeda to the sea monster Cetus. Andromeda was then chained to a rock on the coast of Jaffa (modern day Tel Aviv) to atone for the boastful sins of her mother Cassiopeia.

Andromeda, shackled, alone and terrified, saw Cetus approaching through roiling sea waters and began to scream. The sea monster had its maws opened to consume the sacrificial virgin when Perseus arrived riding the winged horse Pegasus, after beheading the Gorgon Medusa. Perseus swooped down from the sky holding the head of Medusa with the face toward Cetus. The sea monster was turned to stone upon seeing the head and perished, sinking forever to the depths of the sea.

Andromeda had been previously promised to Phineus but due to the heroic rescue by Perseus, Cepheus and Cassiopeia readily agreed to a marriage of Perseus and Andromeda. Their marriage produced seven sons and one daughter.

Andromeda was placed in the constellations of the Northern sky by Athena. She is surrounded by her father Cepheus, her mother Cassiopeia, her husband Perseus and the winged horse that made the marriage possible – Pegasus. The sea monster Cetus is always close by but Pisces, the constellation of fishes, now keeps Andromeda out of harms way.

The constellation Andromeda boasts, as befitting her mother, the Andromeda Galaxy, a spectacular galaxy close enough to be seen by the naked eye. Close is a relative term here, being that the galaxy is 2.5 million light years away, giving it the distinction of being the most distant object visible without the need for a telescope. The Andromeda galaxy is larger than the Milky Way, while the Milky Way contains more dark matter and is most likely more massive. Being so incredibly far away, the galaxy is difficult to spot without a telescope.

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For more on the world of astronomy, visit Starr’s site at Space for the Earthbound

Queen Cassiopeia was a very beautiful woman. She was the mother of Andromeda, who was equally beautiful. Cassiopeia boasted that both she and Andromeda were more beautiful than even Nereids. The Nereids were the sea-nymph daughters of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. Amphitrite, one of the Nereids, was the wife of the sea-god Poseidon.

The sisters wanted Poseidon to punish Cassiopeia for her vanity. Poseidon released his sea monster Cetus to demolish the coast of King Cepheus’ country Aethiopia (not to be confused with modern-day Ethiopia). To stop this attack by Cetus, Cepheus and Cassiopeia chained Andromeda to a rock to be given as a sacrifice. The hero Perseus rescued, and later married, Andromeda.

As punishment for her vanity, Cassiopeia was chained to her throne and sent to the heavens to revolve around the Pole Star. Because the circumference around the Pole Star is such a short distance, Cassiopeia is one constellation that is visible year-round. And because of the path it follows, Cassiopeia is “upside-down” part of the year. Very unbefitting for a vain woman, who took great pride in her hair.

Cassiopeia is positioned between Perseus and Cepheus in the Northern sky. The constellation is identifiable by its “W” shape. The 5 stars making the constellation easily identifiable are; Caph (for the elbow or palm), Schedar (the breast), Cih (the girdle), Rucha (the thigh) and Segin (the right knee). When these stars are viewed in their order, Queen Cassiopeia is seen as sitting up, with the elbow or palm held in the air because of the chain binding the Queen to her throne.

Within Cassiopeia are two Messier objects, Messier 52 (NGC 7654) and Messier 103 (NGC 581). Both of these open clusters are easily seen using binoculars. Messier 103 is pictured here.

For more on the world of astronomy, visit Starr’s site at Space for the Earthbound