Cassiopeia - The Seated QueenLearn about the constellation Cassiopeia - The Seated Queen, location, facts, mythology, meteor showers and deep space objects.
Queen of Ethiopia and Andromeda's Mother. It is one of the 88 modern constellations and was also one of the 48 listed by Ptolemy.
Location: Northern Circumpolar 1h RA 60° Dec
Five of the stars of Cassiopeia form a W/S/M shape (depending on their position in the sky), which is one of the most distinctive patterns in the northern sky. Since it is close to the north celestial pole, it remains in the sky all night long in most northern countries.
Cassiopeia Mythology
In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was a vain queen who boasted about her unrivalled beauty.
Cassiopeia Deep Space Objects
A rich section of the Milky Way runs through Cassiopeia, stretching from Perseus towards Cygnus, and it contains several open clusters, young luminous galactic disc stars, and nebulae.
The Heart Nebula and the Soul Nebula are two neighbouring emission nebulae about 7,500 light-years away.
Two Messier objects, M52 (NGC 7654) and M103 (NGC 581) are located in Cassiopeia; both are open clusters.
Two members of the Local Group of Galaxies are in Cassiopeia. NGC 185 is a magnitude 9.2 elliptical galaxy of type E0, 2 million light-years away. Slightly dimmer and more distant NGC 147 is a magnitude 9.3 elliptical galaxy.
In this table, the observation month represents the month in which the object reaches its highest point in the sky. It can also be viewed a few months before and after depending on your location. Direction is the compass direction in which the object is located, with Z meaning Zenith or overhead.
| # | Image | Common Name | Constellation | Month | Coords | Direction | Mag | Size (arcmin) | Type | Star Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C8 NGC 559 | Cassiopeia | Oct | 01h 29.5m RA +63° 18m Dec | Z | 9.50 | 7 | Open Cluster | 🔍︎ | ||
| C10 NGC 663 | Lawnmower Cluster | Cassiopeia | Oct | 01h 46.0m RA +61° 15m Dec | Z | 71.00 | 16 | Open Cluster | 🔍︎ | |
| C11 NGC 7635 | The Bubble Nebula | Cassiopeia | Oct | 23h 20.7m RA +61° 12m Dec | Z | 10.00 | 15x8 | Bright Nebula | 🔍︎ | |
| C13 NGC 457 | Dragonfly Cluster (Owl Cluster) | Cassiopeia | Oct | 01h 19.1m RA +58° 20m Dec | Z | 6.40 | 13 | Open Cluster | 🔍︎ | |
| C17 NGC 147 | Cassiopeia | Oct | 00h 33.2m RA +48° 30m Dec | Z | 9.30 | 13.2x7.8 | Elliptical Galaxy | 🔍︎ | ||
| C18 NGC 185 | Cassiopeia | Oct | 00h 39.0m RA +48° 20m Dec | Z | 9.20 | 11.7x10.0 | Elliptical Galaxy | 🔍︎ | ||
| M52 NGC 7654 | Summer Salt and Pepper Cluster | Cassiopeia | Sep | 23h 24.2m RA 61° 35m Dec | NE | 6.90 | 13 | Open Cluster | 🔍︎ | |
| M103 NGC 581 | Cassiopeia | Oct | 01h 33.2m RA 60° 42m Dec | Z | 7.40 | 6 | Open Cluster | 🔍︎ |
More Constellations
| Northern Circumpolar | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camelopardalis | Cassiopeia | Cepheus | Draco | Lacerta | Ursa Major |
| Ursa Minor |
| Northern Spring | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antlia | Boötes | Cancer | Coma Berenices | Crater | Hydra |
| Leo | Leo Minor | Virgo |
| Northern Summer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquila | Corona Borealis | Cygnus | Delphinus | Equuleus | Hercules |
| Libra | Lyra | Ophiuchus | Sagitta | Scutum | Serpens |
| Vulpecula |
| Northern Autumn | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andromeda | Aquarius | Aries | Capricornus | Pegasus | Pisces |
| Triangulum |
| Northern Winter | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auriga | Canes Venatici | Canis Major | Canis Minor | Cetus | Eridanus |
| Gemini | Lepus | Lynx | Monoceros | Orion | Perseus |
| Taurus |
