In the (sub)tropics it can be seen at its clearest from September to early November, and at low southern, tropical, latitudes of less than 25°S it can be seen, seasonally, low in the North.Īt magnitude 2.2, Alpha Cassiopeiae, or Schedar, is generally the brightest star in Cassiopeia, though it is occasionally outshone by the variable Gamma Cassiopeiae, which has reached magnitude 1.6. It is easily recognizable due to its distinctive ' W' shape, formed by five bright stars.Ĭassiopeia is located in the northern sky and from latitudes above 34°N it is visible year-round. Cassiopeia was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. Visible at latitudes between + 90° and − 20°.īest visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of November.Ĭassiopeia ( listen) is a constellation in the northern sky named after the vain queen Cassiopeia, mother of Andromeda, in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivaled beauty. for the constellation also / ˌ k æ s i ˈ oʊ p i ə/ Cássiópeia Good star chart programs or books can provide more information about each constellation and the treasures it contains./ ˌ k æ s i ə ˈ p iː ə, - s i oʊ-/ Cássiopéia,Įsp. They give the name and general shape of each constellation. The following charts show the sky as seen from latitude 40 degrees North at around 10 p.m. Successful stargazers 'star hop' from one constellation to another using bright stars as stepping stones.

(For example, Orion and Canis Major and its bright star Sirius are neighbors, as are Taurus and Orion.) It's often easier to learn groups of constellations together in order to be able to draw connections between them and use them to locate one another. People use it to find Polaris, our pole star. Ursa Major is medium-sized but very recognizable. For example, Delphinus, the Dolphin is tiny compared to its neighbor Cygnus, the Swan. You should also bear in mind that some constellations cover large swaths of the sky while others are very small. People also use this 'V' to find the Andromeda Galaxy. In reality, however, her stick figure is more like a curved 'V' extending from a box-shaped pattern. Andromeda, for example, is supposed to be a lovely young lady in the sky. Keep in mind that many star patterns do not look like their names. At the same time, Northern Hemisphere viewers are experiencing summer, so those southern winter stars are actually summer stars for northern viewers.

Northern Hemisphere seasons are the opposite for Southern Hemisphere viewers so a chart marked 'Southern Hemisphere winter' represents what people south of the equator see in winter.

The easiest way to learn the constellations is to see seasonal star charts for both the north and south latitudes. In general, most people can see about 40-50 constellations over the course of a year. The Northern and Southern Hemisphere skies are very different from each other, and there are some patterns in each that cannot be viewed between hemispheres. Each season has distinctive star patterns because the stars that are visible in the sky change as Earth orbits the Sun. There are 88 officially recognized constellations, which are visible at different times throughout the year. Sort of like a game of cosmic connect-the-dots, stargazers draw lines between bright stars to form familiar shapes. Some stars are much brighter than others but the brightest stars in a constellation are visible to the unaided eye so it's possible to see constellations without the use of a telescope. Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky that humans have used since antiquity to navigate and to learn about space.

The cassiopeia constellation