Cassiopeia

How many stars does the constellation Cassiopeia have?
5 stars

What letter does Cassiopeia look like?
M or W 

How do find Cassiopeia in the sky?
Look North of Polaris

What is the best month to see her?
November, but you can find her almost all year long in a clear sky

Is Cassiopeia a circumpolar constellation?
Yes.

What is a 'circumpolar' constellation?
It is a constellation you can see all night long.

Who named and discovered her?
A Greek Astronomer, Ptolemy

Did anyone else notice that same group of stars?
Yes, Japanese believed the constellation to look like mountains.

Are there any first magnitude stars in Cassiopeia?
No 

 Other bits about Cassiopeia

• All stars in Cassiopeia are less than 2nd magnitude (1 being the brightest of stars in the sky, 6 being barely visible with naked eye)
• Cassiopeia is one of 53 constellations that can be seen in the Northern hemisphere
• Cassiopeia is a circumpolar constellation, which means it does not fall out of view all night long for us in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Cassiopeia can be seen in the Spring, very low on the horizon Summer, Best in Late Autumn early Winter

Poetry in progress...

Cassiopeia is a constellation

Cassiopeia is up in the sky

Cassiopeia is seen best in November

Cassiopeia is in the sky

Cassiopeia is a constellation,

A constellation up in the Sky.

Look to the North, she sits on a golden chair

Thought wise Ptolemy;

He saw the five stars one November night

In the clearest of skies.

Look up high too.

What do you see?

Mountains, lions, kings,

An endless wonder in God's creation.

The 'Assignment'
Constellations Part 2 on Friday, March 26

Each child will present a constellation. This should consist of:

1. Name of constellation
2. Picture from a book or chart of constellation
3. Brief description including how to find it in the sky, # stars in it, when it appears in our area, # 1st magnitude stars.

Please do NOT include the mythology behind your constellation. You can also do something fun like have your child make their own representation of that constellation, but please do have one from a book as well.