Cassiopeia - Downloadable article
Several nearby galaxies join the Milky Way marvels that adorn this queen's realm.
By
Tom Polakis —
Published:
March 3, 2009This downloadable article is from an Astronomy magazine 45-article series called "Celestial Portraits." The collection highlights all 88 constellations in the sky and explains how to observe each constellation's deep-sky targets. The articles feature star charts, stunning pictures, and constellation mythology. We've put together 11 digital packages. Each one contains four Celestial Portraits articles for you to purchase and download.
"Cassiopeia" is one of four articles included in Celestial Portraits Package 5.
As the cold winds of January blow, few vistas seem so incongruous as the northwestern sky. There, slowly sinking from view in the early evening, hangs the summer constellation Cygnus and its luminary Deneb. If you raise your sight from Cygnus two-thirds of the way to the zenith, you'll come to Cassiopeia the Queen, the standout constellation of the autumn and early winter Milky Way.
Five 2nd- and 3rd-magnitude stars make up the main body of Cassiopeia. Together these five form the unmistakable shape of the letter M or W — the correct letter depending on the time of night and time of year. Although the Milky Way backdrop of Cassiopeia lacks the impact of the summer star clouds, many fine clusters and nebulae call it home. And the relatively sparse Milky Way lets through the light of a few background galaxies. To read the complete article, purchase and download Celestial Portraits Package 5.
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Deep-sky objects in Cassiopeia
NGC 7635, M52 (NGC 7654), NGC 7789, NGC 7790, IC 10, NGC 147, NGC 185, Eta Cassiopeiae, NGC 281 (Pac Man Nebula), W Cassiopeiae, IC 63, NGC 457, M103 (NGC 581), NGC 654, NGC 663, Stock 2, NGC 896, Maffei I, IC 289 |
Package 5 contains the following Celestial Portraits articles
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