The 'W' shape of Cassiopeia the Queen is formed by five bright stars, all visible to the naked eye. © Roger Ressmeyer/Corbis/VCG / Getty Images However, other depictions show Cassiopeia on a throne unchained, holding a mirror or palm frond.įorming an expanded W across the image are Segin, Ruchbah, Cih (at center), Schedar, and Caph. Perseus is to the southeast.Īs punishment for her vanity, Cassiopeia is forever chained to a throne. Cepheus is to the north and west of Cassiopeia. At the wedding, Perseus killed Andromeda's betrothed (her uncle Phineus).Īfter their deaths, the gods placed members of the royal family near each other in the heavens. However, the hero Perseus, fresh from beheading the Gorgon Medusa, saved Andromeda and took her as his wife. The oracle told them the only way to appease Poseidon was to sacrifice their daughter, Andromeda.Īndromeda was chained to a rock near the sea, to be devoured by the sea monster Cetus. To save their kingdom, Cepheus and Cassiopeia sought the counsel of the Oracle of Apollo. Nereus took the insult to the god of the sea, Poseidon, who rained his wrath down upon Ethiopia. The vain queen boasted that she or her daughter (accounts vary) were more beautiful than the Nereids, sea nymph daughters of the sea god Nereus. In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was the wife of King Cepheus of Ethiopia.

Cassiopeia is depicted as a queen sitting on a throne, sometimes holding a mirror or palm frond.

The constellation cassiopeia