Facts about Cepheus Constellation

1. 07

   Garnet Star, also called Mu Cephei, displays a deep red color so pronounced that 19th-century astronomer William Herschel named it for its resemblance to a garnet gemstone.

   Cepheus ConstellationMay 14shareastronomyhistorycolor
2. 06

   Cepheus constellation was named after a legendary king in Greek mythology who was the father of Andromeda and husband of Cassiopeia.

   Cepheus ConstellationMay 14sharemythologyancientstellar
3. 05

   Cepheus constellation occupies approximately 588 square degrees of sky, making it the 27th largest constellation visible from Earth's northern hemisphere.

   Cepheus ConstellationMay 14shareastronomymeasurementcelestial
4. 04

   In 1787, William Herschel discovered the planetary nebula NGC 40 within Cepheus constellation, a glowing shell of ionized gas surrounding a dying star approximately 3,600 light-years away.

   Cepheus ConstellationMay 14shareastronomydiscoverynebula
5. 03

   Cepheus constellation contains Delta Cephei, a yellow supergiant that inspired the entire class of Cepheid variable stars used to measure cosmic distances.

   Cepheus ConstellationMay 14shareastronomystarshistory
6. 02

   The variable star Mu Cephei, located in Cepheus constellation, is a red supergiant approximately 3,850 times larger than our Sun.

   Cepheus ConstellationMay 14shareastronomymeasurementstars
7. 01

   Alpha Cephei, the brightest star in the Cepheus constellation, shines at magnitude 2.45 and lies approximately 49 light-years from Earth.

   Cepheus ConstellationMay 13shareastronomymeasurementstellar