Constellation Cepheus (King)
Properties
The constellation Cepheus revolves around the celestial north pole, followed by Cassiopeia on its eastern side and stands for Central Europe in the sky all year round. Despite its importance in Greek mythology, Cepheus is a less prominent constellation to the naked eye. In a dark sky you can see a figure that resembles a child's drawing of a house with a gable roof. The southern part of the constellation stands in a branch of the band of the Milky Way. The area is 588 square degrees and the centre culminates on September 29 at midnight. Cepheus contains one of the most important variable stars for modern astronomy: delta Cephei. [9, 15]
| α Cep | Alderamin, Alderaimin |
| β Cep | Alfirk, Alphirk |
| γ Cep | Alrai, Arrai, Errai, Er Rai |
| μ Cep | Herschel's "Garnet Star" |
| ξ Cep | Alkurhah, Al Kirdah, Kurhah |
| ρ2 Cep | Al Kalb Al Rai |
| IAU Name | Cepheus |
| IAU Genitive | Cephei |
| IAU Abbr. | Cep |
| English Name | King |
| Culmination at local midnight | 27 August |
| Season (Latitude +46.8°) | January … December |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 20h 01m 56s … 09h 03m 20s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | +53° 21' 12" … +88° 39' 50" |
| Area | 588 deg2 |
| Neighbours (N↻) | UMi, Dra, Cyg, Lac, Cas, Cam |
Deep-Sky Object Descriptions
IC 1396
LDN 1082
LDN 1235
NGC 40
NGC 6946
NGC 7023
NGC 7380
Sh 2-129
Sh 2-132
Sh 2-155
Sh 2-174
vdB 141
Catalogues
Mythology and History
The constellation symbolizes Cepheus, the king of Ethiopia. He descended from Belos, the legendary Assyrian king. Cepheus' wife was the vain Cassiopeia, who boasted of being more beautiful than the nymphs of the sea. As punishment for Kassiopeia's vanity, the pretty princess Andromeda - daughter of this royal family in the sky - was chained to a rock by the sea to be sacrificed to the whale Cetus. The hero Perseus rode up through the air on Pegasus, freed Andromeda and married her. [82]