Cepheus and Cassiopeia died and were immortalized in the stars by the gods, though Cassiopeia was placed upside-down for half of the year to temper her vanity. Cassiopeia was queen of Ethiopia and an antagonist in the story of Perseus. Medusa’s gaze instantly turned all who entered it into stone. He removed the head of Medusa - a snake-haired monster he had slain – from the bag where he kept it. Outnumbered, Perseus used a very special weapon to overcome his enemies. A great battle began between Perseus and the supporters of Phineus.
Now that their daughter was safe and sound, Cepheus and Cassiopeia forgot their promise to Perseus and sided with Phineus. Greek mythology and the Constellation Cassiopeia The constellation Cassiopeia is one of several constellations that have their origins in the Perseus myth, for Cassiopeia was the wife of Cepheus, the Queen of Aethiopia and the mother of Andromeda. During the wedding, however, Perseus learned that Andromeda had already been promised to another man, named Phineus. Perseus fought off the monster and was set to wed the girl. He struck a deal with Cepheus and Cassiopeia that if he saved Andromeda from the monster, he would win the right to marry her. To punish Cassiopeia for her vanity, Poseidon chained Andromeda to a rock to be devoured by a sea monster. Cassiopeia was said to be vain and boastful about her immense beauty, so much so that she claimed to be even more beautiful than the Nereids, the daughters of the sea-god Poseidon. It is said to represent a sitting woman, namely Cassiopeia wife of King Cepheus of Ethiopia and mother of Andromeda, whose own constellations sit next to hers in the sky. Like most of the old constellations, Cassiopeia takes its name from Greek mythology. of the northern sky representing Queen Cassiopeia from Greek myth. It is interesting, however, for containing Cassiopeia A, a supernova that only became visible on Earth around 300 years ago. Meaning & History Latinized form of Greek (Kassiopeia) or (Kassiepeia), possibly meaning cassia juice. (Greek mythology) Proud wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda, queen of Ethiopia. In Greek mythology Cassiopeia would boast that she was more beautiful than the Nereid nymphs, a boat which of course enraged the Nereids, which then prompted Poseidon to send forth a sea monster. It contains only two Messier objects, bright deep sky objects identified primarily by French astronomer Charles Messier during the 18th Century: open clusters M52 and M103. The constellation Cassiopeia is named for the Queen of Aethopia, who was the wife of Cepheus and mother of Andromeda. In all, the constellation contains 53 known stars, only five of which make up the W. The constellation is easy to find due to its brilliance and simple shape: a letter W. She boasted that she herself (or, in some versions, her daughter) was. It sits on the south side of the sky in the Northern Hemisphere, near Camelopardalis, Cepheus, Lacerta, Perseus, and Andromeda and across from the Big Dipper. In Greek mythology, the wife of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, and mother of Andromeda. Cassiopeia was one of the original 48 constellations cataloged by the Second Century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and is still one of 88 officially recognized modern constellations.