Cassiopeia: Queen of the night sky
High in the northern sky this week we find the constellation Cassiopeia. As the sky darkens, look for something resembling a letter ‘M’ too weak to push itself fully upright. Ancient stories liken the star pattern to a royal throne. Roman mathematician and astronomer, Ptolemy included it in his charts, but Cassiopeia’s origins date back to earlier times.
In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia is queen to Cepheus, mythological ruler of the Phoenician kingdom Aethiopia. Mother to Andromeda, Cassiopeia was hopelessly vain, spending hours upon her throne with a mirror and hairbrush. Her boast of being more beautiful than the sea nymphs provoked the wrath of Poseidon. As punishment, he sent a sea monster to attack the shorelines of the kingdom. Cepheus and Cassiopeia consulted an oracle who advised they could satisfy the monster by chaining Andromeda to a rock as a sacrifice. Andromeda was heroically rescued by Perseus who swept her out of harm’s way. But, Poseidon ensured that Cassiopeia met a different, more shameful fate. Condemned by the gods to circle the pole star for all eternity, she spends half of every day upright in her throne and the other half upside down in disgrace with her hems about her ears.
Because it is circumpolar, the constellation Cassiopeia is visible any night of the year opposite the Big Dipper. Circumpolar motion carries the constellations counter-clockwise relative to the celestial north pole. Counter-clockwise motion is symbolic of female energy. Ancient Egyptian mythology associated the star pattern with Isis, archetypal wife and mother.
Literally translated, Isis means “Queen of the Throne”. Paintings of Isis show a throne as part of her headdress. The annual flooding of the Nile was attributed to the abundant tears she cried following the murder of her husband and brother Osiris by her jealous, older brother Set. The ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for water is a zigzag marking that resembles the letter ‘M’.
Cassiopeia is a wonderful part of the sky to explore. The queen has a bounty of celestial jewels waiting to be discovered. Begin your journey with a pair of binoculars, warm clothes and something hot to drink.
