Cepheus Constellation: The Ultimate Guide
Cepheus (King Cepheus)
Cepheus is a constellation located in the northern hemisphere of the Earth. The name of the constellation comes from the Greek Cepheus (Κεφεύς), in Greek mythology, Cepheus was the son of Belo (who in turn was the son of Poseidon).
The location of the Cepheus constellation is near the north pole. Still, it is possible to see it in the countries of the earth's southern hemisphere.
Cepheus has very faint stars, so it is somewhat difficult to see it with the naked eye, so it is advisable to use binoculars.
The brightest star of Cepheus is Alderamin (Alpha Cephei / α Cep), with a visual magnitude of +2.43.
Cepheus has many deep-sky objects significant for astronomy, such as galaxies and globular objects.
There are no meteor showers within the boundaries of the constellation Cepheus.
The Mythology And History Of The Cepheus Constellation
Greek Mythology
Cepheus was the king of Ethiopia who was married to Cassiopeia, and both ruled the city of Ethiopia as kings.
Cassiopeia angered the Nereids by boasting that she was more beautiful than them in the myth. In revenge, the Nereids asked Poseidon to punish her. They sent the sea monster (Cetus) to Ethiopia to destroy everything.
Cepheus consulted the oracle of Amun, who advised him to sacrifice his daughter, Andromeda.
Early Modern Period
Cepheus had modifications in its limits during the fifteenth century because it adjoined Ursa Minor. Still, they resumed the initial measures because, in that way, it was next to the constellation Cassiopeia.
Finally, the cartographers continued to use the measurements established by Ptolemy in the Almagest, where Cepheus is next to the constellation Cassiopeia. In turn, both are on one side of the constellation Andromeda.
Nowadays
Later the International Astronomical Union defined the limits of Cepheus, and it will not undergo further modifications in its boundaries.
In scientific research, Cepheus is an essential region for astronomers since within its area are several deep-sky objects, mainly galaxies.
How To Find The Cepheus Constellation?
Visibility By Region
The constellation Cepheus resides in the fourth quadrant of the Northern Hemisphere (NQ4), at latitudes between 10° S and 90° N. We can see the constellation in the night sky in all northern countries and very few countries of the south.
Cepheus is visible in the USA, Europe, Russia, China, and Japan in the northern hemisphere.
Cepheus is only visible in countries close to the equator in the southern hemisphere, such as Brazil, Ecuador, Tanzania, or Indonesia.
Cepheus is not visible in countries below latitude-10°, such as Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa.
Visibility By Season
Cepheus is a constellation close to the north pole, so it is visible throughout the year to the northern hemisphere countries; the best month to see it is October.
Finding Cepheus Constellation
Cepheus is very close to the north pole.
In addition, it is a small and very faint constellation; it is complicated to see with the naked eye in the skies with a lot of light pollution around.
The best way to locate it in navigation is by drawing an imaginary straight line from the star Deneb of the constellation Cygnus to the star Gamma Cassipeiae of the constellation Cassiopeia. Cepheus is located right on the road between the two.
Related Constellations
The constellations bordering Cepheus are Camelopardalis, Cassiopeia, Cygnus, Draco, Lacerta, and Ursa Minor.
In addition, Cepheus belongs to the family of constellations of Perseus; these include Andromeda, Auriga, Cassiopeia, Cetus, Lacerta, Pegasus, Perseus, and Triangulum.
Stars in Cepheus Constellation
Officially Cepheus has 152 stars within its limits, of which 14 form the central figure of the constellation.
These are Alderamin, Alfirk, Alrai, Zeta Cephei, Eta Cephei, Iota Cephei, Delta Cephei, Herschel's Garnet Star, Epsilon Cephei, Theta Cephei, Nu Cephei, Alkurhah, Pi Cepheiy Al Kalb al-Rai.
Alderamin (Alfa Cephei / α Cep)
It is the brightest star in the constellation Cepheus with a magnitude of 2.44; it is a white star located 49 light-years from Earth.
Other Cepheus Stars:
- β Cephei (Alfirk) is a bluish-white star of variable magnitude between 3.15 and 3.21.
- γ Cephei (Errai), a binary star of magnitude 3.22 with an exoplanet.
- δ Cephei, the first Cepheid variable on record.
- λ Cephei, blue supergiant of magnitude 5.05.
- μ Cep hei, red supergiant star.
- v Cephei, a white supergiant of magnitude 4.29.
- ξ Cephei (Kurhah or Alkurhah), double star.
- ρ Cephei (Al Kalb al-Rai), a white star of magnitude 5.50.
- 9 Cephei (V337 Cephei) is a luminous blue supergiant of magnitude 4.79.
- 14 Cephe (LZ Cephei) is a variable blue star of magnitude5.55.
- 19 Cephei is a luminous O-type star of magnitude 5.11.
- 31 Cephei is a white-yellow star.
- S Cephei is a variable Mira star.
- RW Cephei is a semi-irregular variable of mean magnitude 6.51.
- ST Cephei is a red supergiant.
- VV Cephei is an eclipsing binary consisting of a red hypergiant (VV Cephei A) and a blue main-sequence star (VV Cephei B).
- WX Cephei is an eclipsing binary.
- EK Cephei is an eclipsing binary.
- ε Cephei (Phicares), Delta Scuti variable of magnitude 4.18.
- ζ Cephei,(Tsao Fu), orange supergiant of magnitude 3.39 at 725 light-years.
- η Cephei, orange subgiant of magnitude 3.41 at 47 light-years.
- ι Cephei, an orange giant of magnitude 3.51.
- XX Cephei is a triple system of magnitude 9,21.
- AH Cephei, eclipsing binary of medium magnitude 6.88.
- CQ Cephei is an eclipsing binary.
- DH Cephei is a binary composed of two blue stars.
- GP Cephei is a quadruple system.
- OV Cephei is a red giant.
- V419 Cephei, red supergiant of magnitude 6.62.
- Kruger 60 is a binary star system.
- HR 285 (HD 5848) is an orange giant of magnitude 4.24.
- HR 8938 (HD 221525) is a white subgiant of magnitude 5.56.
- HR 9038 (HD 223778) is a triple system at 35.2 light-years.
- HD 26367 is a barium dwarf of magnitude 6.56.
- HIP 106924, halo star.
- Gliese 793 and Gliese 133 is a binary star formed by two red dwarfs.
- Gliese 842.2 (GJ 9764) is a red dwarf surrounded by a circumstellar disc.
- G 261-43, binary system.
Deep Sky Objects
Cepheus is also home to several deep-sky objects. Deep-sky objects are celestial bodies different from stars, such as nebulae (interstellar cloud bodies) or galaxies.
In the case of Cepheus, it is very rich in galaxies and star clusters; some of them are:
- NGC 188: Open cluster about 5400 light-years from Earth.
- NGC 6939: Open cluster.
- NGC 7142: Distant open cluster 6200 light-years.
- NGC 7510: Open cluster located about 11,400 light-years away.
- NGC 6946: Spiral galaxy in which ten supernovae have been observed, more than any other known galaxy. That is why it is also known as the "Fireworks Galaxy," it is 22 million light-years away.
- NGC 7023 or Iris Nebula: Small reflection nebula 1300 light-years away.
- NGC 40: Planetary nebulae.
- NGC 7354. Planetary nebulae.
- CTA1, supernova remnant 4500 light-years away.
- S5 0014+81: Quasar with a large supermassive black hole at the center, the largest known in the universe.
Conclusions
- Cepheus is a constellation of the northern celestial hemisphere; its name comes from the Latin Cepheus (Κεφεύς; Cepheus), in Greek mythology, Cepheus was the son of Belo (who in turn was the son of Poseidon).
- In the northern hemisphere, the constellation Cepheus is visible in all north countries. In the southern hemisphere, it is only visible above 10 ° S.
- Cepheus is a circumpolar constellation; it is visible all year round in the Northern Hemisphere, but the best month to see it is in October.
- The brightest star of Cepheus is Alderamin (Alpha Cephei / α Cep), with a visual magnitude of +2.43.
- The best way to locate the constellation Coma Berenices is to draw an imaginary straight line from the star Deneb of the constellation Cygnus to the star Gamma Cassipeiae of the constellation Cassiopeia. Cepheus is located right on the road between the two.
- The most notable deep sky body of Cepheus is the spiral galaxy NGC 6946.