Cepheus Constellation Facts That Are Sure To Amaze You!

The brightest star in this constellation is Alderamin or Alpha Cephei, which is a fast spinning celestial body.

Cepheus is named after the king of Ethiopia. He was married to Cassiopeia and the father of Andromeda, both of whom, together with Cepheus, are honored as modern-day constellations.

Cepheus is most usually pictured raising his arms, pleading to the gods to save Andromeda's life from the sea monster. He is also shown as a more majestic monarch seated on his throne.

Star formation and star marks have also been recently observed in this constellation of the Milky Way galaxy. A cluster is a collection of stars. Globular clusters are clusters that are composed of stars tightly bonded by gravitational forces.

An open cluster has new and small stars that are looser. In the cluster of Cepheus, there are several open clusters.

Andromeda was saved from the sea monster and is now immortalized as the famed galaxy.

Features Of Cepheus Constellation

Ptolemy listed the constellation of Cepheus the King among the 48 constellations in his Almagest in the second century. It is now one of the 88 contemporary constellations recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

• It is part of the Perseus constellation family, along with Perseus, Andromeda, Lacerta, Auriga, Cassiopeia, Cetus, Pegasus, and Triangulum.
• The name of this constellation is derived from the Greek mythology of the king of Ethiopia, Cepheus. It is sometimes abbreviated as 'Cep.'
• The constellation named after the king of Ethiopia is seen with a scepter in his hand.
• According to the legend, his arms are frequently in the air, as if begging the gods to save his daughter.
• A star cluster is a collection of stars. An open cluster has new and small stars that are looser. There are several open clusters in the cluster of Cepheus.
• With an area of 588 deg2, it is a reasonably large constellation.
• It is the 27th most prominent constellation in our night sky.
• There is also a double star cluster in the constellation Cepheus.
• Cepheus has a white-yellow star, several B Class Stars, and even a garnet star.
• Cepheus is known to contain the iris nebula, which is a bright reflection nebula in the star system. The reflection nebula is home to several bright stars.

Location Of Cepheus Constellation

In the Northern Sky, the Cepheus constellation is circumpolar, and even though we can view it all year, the greatest time to watch it is around 9 p.m. in November.

• It is located in the fourth quadrant in the northern hemisphere, between latitudes 90 degrees and minus 10 degrees.
• Despite its large size, most of its stars are not very brilliant, making it difficult for some to spot it among a sea of stars.
• Fortunately, we can find it by looking at its adjacent constellations.

Major Stars In The Cepheus Constellation

The Bayer designation for Alderamin is Alpha Cephei. In the Flamsteed designation, it is known as 5 Cephei. This is one of the brightest stars of the A variety. Despite being a white main-sequence star, it is transforming into a subgiant.

• The brightest star in the constellation Cepheus the King is Alpha Cephei.
• It is visible to the naked eye because of its apparent magnitude of roughly 2.5.
• Because it is a mildly variable star, its brightness is in the range of 0.06.
• This star is only 49 light-years from the Earth.
• Alpha Cephei's traditional name, Alderamin, is of Arabic origin. It is derived from the term al-dhir' al-yamn, which means 'right arm.'
• It is a rapidly spinning star, revolving at around 152.8 mi/s (246 km/s). As a result, it completes its rotation in 12 hours or less.
• Beta Cephei is a triple star system located around 690 light-years from the sun.
• It's a variable star with an apparent magnitude ranging from 3.16 to 3.27. It pulsates every four hours and 34 minutes on average.
• This star serves as a model for the Beta Cephei variables.
• Gamma Cephei is a star system around 45 light-years distant from the Earth.
• The main stars are Gamma Cephei A and Gamma Cephei B which are the components of this binary star system.
• It is located along the Earth's precessional route at the north celestial pole and is the most likely to succeed as the North Star after Polaris though it is nothing to be concerned about because it will occur around the year 3000 CE.
• Delta Cephei is a star whose diameter is around 40-46 times that of our sun.
• Delta Cephei is a two-star constellation. The main star is an F-class supergiant, whereas the companion is a blue giant star.
• Delta Cephei was thought to be 891 light-years distant.
• Iota Cephei is a K0 III stellar classification massive star. This is one of the stars that make up the shape of Cepheus in the northern sky.
• It is visible to the naked eye due to its apparent magnitude of 3.5.
• Iota Cephei is approximately 115 light-years distant from us. It has a mass 2.15 times that of our sun, is 57 times brighter, and has several main stars.
• Zeta Cephei and Eta Cephei are another one of the primary star clusters that are present in the Cepheus constellation.
• Mu Cephei, also known as Herschel's Garnet star is an orange giant star in the Cepheus constellation.
• The Garnet star is a part of one of the largest star systems discovered.
• VV Cephei A, an eclipsing binary star system, is deemed the third-largest star in the constellation Cepheus.

Bordering Constellations Of The Cepheus Constellation

Cygnus is a Milky Way constellation in the northern hemisphere that gets its name from the Latinized Greek word for swan. Cygnus is one of the most well-known constellations in the northern summer and fall, and it contains the Northern Cross, a renowned asterism.

• Cassiopeia is a constellation named for the vain queen Cassiopeia, who bragged of her unsurpassed beauty in Greek mythology and was the mother of Andromeda.
• Cassiopeia is now one of the 88 contemporary constellations.
• Its unusual 'W' shape, created by five brilliant stars, makes it instantly identifiable.
• Lacerta is one of the International Astronomical Union's 88 contemporary constellations.
• Its name comes from the Latin word lizard. J
• Johannes Hevelius classified it as a tiny, weak constellation in 1687.
• It is frequently called 'Little Cassiopeia' because its brightest stars make a 'W' shape similar to Cassiopeia's.
• It lies between Cygnus, Cassiopeia, and Andromeda.
• The Milky Way is visible in the northern portion.
• Camelopardalis is a giraffe-shaped constellation in the northern sky that is huge yet weak.
• Petrus Plancius introduced the constellation in 1612 or 1613.
• Although the names Camelopardalus and Camelopardus appear in certain ancient astronomy texts, the International Astronomical Union recognizes the genitive form, which is seen suffixed to most of the constellation's prominent stars.
• Draco is a cluster that may be seen in the far north.
• Its name means 'dragon' in Latin.
• It was one among the 48 charts listed by Ptolemy in the second century, and it is now one of the 88 current constellations.
• Draco is home to the ecliptic's north pole.
• Draco is circumpolar (meaning it never sets below the horizon) and visible all year long from northern latitudes.
• Ursa Minor (Little Bear) is a Northern Sky constellation.
• The tail of the Little Bear, like that of the Great Bear, may be perceived as a ladle handle, thus the North American name Little Dipper.
• Ursa Minor was among Ptolemy's 48 constellations in the second century, and it is now one of the 88 contemporary constellations.
• Because Polaris is the north pole star, Ursa Minor has long been useful for navigation, particularly for seafarers.
• NGC 6946 (Iris Nebula NGC) also called the fireworks galaxy is a spiral galaxy with a bright center or a reflection nebula.
• The fireworks galaxy borders the constellation Cepheus.