Andromeda (constellation)
Andromeda is a constellation in the northern sky. It is named after the princess Andromeda in Greek mythology. It is sometimes called "Princess of Ethiopia" or "the Chained Woman" in English.[1] It has also been called Persea ("Perseus's wife")[1] or Cepheis ("Cepheus's daughter").[1] The astronomer named Ptolemy listed Andromeda when he made a list of 48 constellations. It is also one of the 88 constellations made by the International Astronomical Union.[2]
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| List of stars in Andromeda | |
| Abbreviation: | And |
| Genitive: | Andromedae |
| Symbology: | |
| Right ascension: | 1 h |
| Declination: | +40° |
| Area: | 722 sq. deg. (19th) |
| Main stars: | 4, 18 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars: | 65 |
| Stars known to have planets: | 8 |
| Bright stars: | 3 |
| Nearby stars: | 3 |
| Brightest star: | α And (Alpheratz) (2.07m) |
| Nearest star: | Ross 248 ( ly) |
| Messier objects: | 3 |
| Meteor showers: | Andromedids (Bielids) |
| Bordering constellations: | Perseus Cassiopeia Lacerta Pegasus Pisces Triangulum |
| Visible at latitudes between +90° and −40° Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of November | |
The Andromeda Galaxy is inside Andromeda. It is the closest spiral galaxy to Earth, at about 2.2 million light-years from Earth (estimates range up to 2.5 million light-years).[3] The brightest star in Andromeda is called Alpha Andromedae, which is a binary star.[4]
Andromeda (constellation) Media
Andromeda as depicted in Urania's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c. 1825, showing the constellation from the inside of the celestial sphere
Andromeda depicted in an early scientific manuscript, c.1000
Photo of the constellation Andromeda, as it appears to the naked eye. Lines have been added for clarity.
Andromeda as it appears in the night sky, with the superimposed figure.
A Hertzsprung–Russell diagram for stars brighter than 4th magnitude in the constellation Andromeda (axes not labelled).
M31, the Great Galaxy of Andromeda.
Sharp view of the Andromeda Galaxy
The Blue Snowball Nebula as seen through the Hubble Space Telescope.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Allen (1899) pp.32, 33.
- ↑ Ridpath, Ian. "Chapter One continued". Star Tales. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ↑ Schoening, Bill; Harvey, Vanessa. "The Andromeda Galaxy". REU program/NOAO/AURA/NSF. Archived from the original on 22 November 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ↑ Darling, David. "Alpheratz (Alpha Andromedae)". Retrieved 28 January 2013.
