The sky map is a spectacle that is incredibly attractive and bewitching, especially if it is a dark night sky. Against the background of the stretching foggy road of the Milky Way, you can clearly see both bright and slightly blurred stars that make up the various constellations. One of such constellations, almost entirely located in the Milky Way, is the constellation Perseus.
The legend of the constellation Perseus
The constellation Perseus (the legend of whose appearance is unusually beautiful) is quite interesting from the point of view of science. But now it’s not about that, but about love. The arrangement of the stars of the constellation resembles a man in a high hat on his head. And this is the story of the constellation. According to ancient tradition, Perseus was the illegitimate child of Zeus and the royal daughter. At one time, the governor was prophesied that he would die at the hands of his own grandson. Frightened by the predictions, the king closed the beautiful Danube in the tower. But Zeus, who fell in love with an earthly girl, made his way into the dungeon, turning into golden rain. Soon the princess gave birth to a son. And in order to get rid of the unwanted baby, the king ordered the mother and baby to be imprisoned in a barrel and thrown into the sea. The young mother and baby survived, and the barrel sailed to the shore of the island.
When the young handsome Perseus became an adult, he accomplished many feats. And during his adventures, the young man found his love - the beautiful Andromeda. Already an adult, he took part in discus throwing competitions, where he accidentally killed his grandfather. Here is such a beautiful story about a constellation with a slightly sad end.
The history of the ancient constellation
The constellation Perseus, located in the northern celestial hemisphere, was discovered by ancient astronomers. And best of all, in the starry sky, it is visible from November to March. On a cloudless and moonless night, it will not be difficult to distinguish all ninety stars of the constellation even with the naked eye, since the constellation contains stars of the second and third magnitude.
The open star clusters in the constellation Perseus were discovered by astronomers a long time ago. In particular, at the end of the 19th century, an American astronomer discovered the emission nebula. This is a pretty beautiful phenomenon that can be viewed using a modern telescope. The constellation Perseus (whose photo can be seen in the article) is mentioned in the catalog of the starry sky dated to the second century AD.
The location of Perseus in the starry sky
The constellation is fairly well visible throughout Russia. The most favorable conditions for visibility are in December.
The constellation Andromeda and Perseus (the constellation we are considering) are located nearby. And if you want to find Perseus in the sky, then first of all you need to find Andromeda. In the constellation of the beloved Perseus, there is a straight line composed by several stars. Then continue the line east, and it will point you to the starry Perseus.
Star neighbors
Like any other, the constellation Perseus in the sky has neighbors. In the east it borders with Cassiopeia, in the west it is in contact with the driver. In the southeast of Perseus, you can easily find the constellation Taurus. In addition, the constellation Andromeda and Perseus are very close - even here the lover does not let go of his beauty.
Winking devil in constellation
Corresponding to his legendary image, Perseus on the celestial map is depicted as a warrior with the head of a Gorgon jellyfish on his belt.
The constellation Perseus was observed by astronomers from different countries, and this star cluster attracted them with its mystery and originality. In the Middle Ages, Arab astronomers were actively studying it. It was they who first noticed that, upon a detailed examination of the head of the jellyfish, one can notice that one eye remains stationary, and the other seems to wink from time to time. And this star in the constellation Perseus received the name "devil", or in Arabic - Algol.
The European astronomer, the first to deeply study the flashing Algol phenomenon, was an Italian physicist astronomer who lived in the 17th century. However, his studies did not in any way bring him closer to understanding the pattern with which the star flashes. Astronomers managed to determine this only at the end of the 18th century, observing the star throughout every night. Thanks to such methodical work, it was possible to establish that in the “winks” of Algol there is a strict periodicity.
For two and a half days, the star’s brilliance remains invariably bright. The next nine hours, its brightness begins to gradually decrease, and then again increases to its initial value. The interval between “winks” is approximately two days and twenty-one hours.
The secret of Algol
It was this conclusion that enabled astronomers to assume the presence of another celestial body that revolves around a flickering star. At the end of the 19th century, such an assumption became a scientifically confirmed fact. Scientists have received confirmation of their guesses by discovering a satellite in Algol. It is he who periodically overshadows the star, causing fluctuations in the brightness.
This star was the first celestial body discovered by astronomers with the characteristic of an eclipsing variable star. And even after this, the interest of scientists in the study of this heavenly beauty did not disappear. Thanks to such increased attention, it was possible to establish the presence of another satellite located at a greater distance than the first. Because of its sufficient remoteness, the Algol star does not cause flickering, nor does it eclipse the star itself.
A sparkling swarm of stars in Perseus
This is one of the most beautiful clusters of stars found by scientists in the constellation Perseus. With the naked eye, you can notice only a small bright spot. But if you carefully look at it through a telescope, you can see an unforgettable beauty cluster of stars. Hundreds of sparkling luminaries give the impression of a small heavenly holiday. To everything else, it has two condensations of celestial bodies.
These open clusters in the constellation have different distances from the Earth and a different number of stars in their composition. The first cluster is more numerous than the second. The difference in quantity is about a hundred celestial bodies. Astronomers observing the clusters closely came to the conclusion that the stars in their composition are not random, assembled without any system. There is a hypothesis that they are all formed from a single stellar form of matter.
In addition, in the middle of the 20th century, an astronomer from Holland made another interesting discovery: the stars of the second cluster scatter in all directions from its central part. He also managed to calculate that this association of stars arose relatively recently.
In general, Perseus star clusters are interesting for researchers in that they are the most numerous. The diffuse nebula California, located in the constellation Perseus, is also interesting for researchers. She, according to scientists, is illuminated by a sufficiently large star. The distance from Earth to this light nebula is about 2000 light years.
Second variable star
In the constellation Perseus, in addition to Algol, there is another variable star. It can also be observed without a telescope. The time range of its flicker is not constant, like the star of the "devil", but fits in the interval from 33 to 55 days. Such a phenomenon of inconstancy is not fully understood by astronomers, nor is the cause of the flicker defined.
Watching this beautiful star is a pleasure. But since scientists used to combine business with pleasure, it was found that this star also has a satellite. Moreover, its size is slightly smaller than the size of the star itself.
Observing this pair through a telescope, astronomers called them “heavenly diamonds” because of the amazing combination of colors. The main star burns with a beautiful orange light, and its small satellite has a mysterious bluish glow.
Meteor showers Perseus
Those who are actively interested in meteorites, astronomers suggest viewing the fascinating spectacle of meteor shower in the constellation Perseus. Have a summerfall in the summer. This is from about mid-July to the last days of August. The peak of rain falls in mid-August. Astronomers have called this active meteor shower Perseid.
In the night sky you can see a huge number of wonderful constellations, many of which still require careful study and consideration. This also applies to the constellation Perseus. Despite many perfect discoveries, many generations of people have yet to study it. What remains far behind the scenes of modern astronomical science, perhaps in a few decades, will amaze humanity with the magnitude of its discovery.