Featured Constellations |
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Perseus is blessed with several bright stars,
and has long been noticed by various cultures,
from ancient Egypt (who saw it as the god Khem)
to medieval star gazers who thought of it as
David, the daring little guy who clobbered
Goliath. The Greek legends are the ones that
endured, and all these center on the basic
concept of a rescuer of maidens, righter of
wrongs - a celestial Dudley Do-right. Come to
think of it, he could be a Canadian Mounty, as
his horse is adjacent, and Andromeda could just
as well be his girl Nell.
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Make up whatever legend you want, I guess. There is one very distinctive play accesory that comes with your Perseus action figure, though, one that has both mythical and scientific implications: the second brightest star in the pattern, Algol. This star is a variable star, and it seems likely that the ancients could see it was changing in brightness. Probably mystified by these changes, they gave this star creepy names: Algol is translated from the Arabic "Ras al Ghul", or head of the demon.
The Israelites dubbed it "Rosh ha Satan" - yeesh, Happy Halloween already. We've already alluded to the less threatening stellar cluster spread around Mirfak, the brightest star in Perseus, but you might want to follow the gentle arc of stars down his eastern side; several of these blue-hot giant stars are among the brightest in our galaxy. This star trail also leads you down to the Pleiades, which is over the border in Taurus.
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