SkyEye: Perseus

The Champion

Abbreviation:	Per
Genitive:	Persei
Origin:	[antiquity]
Fully Visible:	31°S – 90°N

In Greek mythology, King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia of Æthiopia (what we call the Upper Nile region) had a daughter named Andromeda. Cassiopeia boasted that she and her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids, the sea nymphs who often accompanied Poseiden, god of the seas. As punishment, Poseiden sent a sea monster, Cetus, to ravage the coast of Æthopia. In desperation, Cepheus consulted an oracle who informed him that to appease Poseiden, Cepheus must sacrifice his daughter Andromeda to the sea monster. Thus, Andromeda was stripped naked and chained to the rocks on the coast of the sea. Fortunately for her, Perseus was passing by, having just slain the Gorgon, Medusa. He killed the sea monster and set Andromeda free, claiming her as his bride.

Perseus was a demi-god, son of Zeus and the mortal Danaë. He slew Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon, and cut off her head. (Pegasus sprang from the blood of Medusa.) After using the fearsome object in several adventures (including the saving of Andromeda), he gave the head to the goddess Athena who affixed it to her shield.

He was also the legendary founder of the Greek state of Mycenae which figures prominently in the tales of the Trojan War. In addition, the classical hero Heracles (Hercules to the Romans) was both the great-grandson and half-brother of Perseus!

The constellation of Perseus

Notable Features

Visible Named Stars
α Per	Mirfak	This star sometimes appears as Algenib (from the Arabic al‑janb meaning 'the side') in older star atlases and catalogues.
β Per	Algol	Algol means 'the demon's head' and represents the head of the Medusa. It sometimes appears as Gorgona or Gorgonea Prima (from the Latin gorgona meaning 'the monster') in older star atlases and catalogues. It is the prototype Algol eclipsing binary variable star and its varying magnitude is easily observable with the naked eye.
η Per	Miram	This K-type bright giant shines at fourth magnitude.
ξ Per	Menkib	This traditional name was made official by the IAU in 2016.
κ Per	Misam	This fourth-magnitude star is actually a triple, consisting of a spectroscopic binary plus another star.
ο Per	Atik	This name is also traditionally ascribed to ζ Per.
Other Interesting Stars
HAT‑P‑15	Berehinya	This twelfth-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet. It is located in the region near ε Per.
HAT‑P‑29	Muspelheim	Found between θ Per and φ Per, this twelfth-magnitude star is known to have at least one exoplanet.
Deep Sky Objects
M34		Optical aids are necessary in order to observe this open star cluster.
M76	Butterfly Nebula, Little Dumbbell Nebula	This planetary nebula may be the faintest and most difficult object in Messier's list to observe.
C14	Double Cluster	Situated near the star χ Per, this object is actually two open star clusters and a beautiful site through binoculers. The double cluster is also popularly known as h and χ Persei and appears in the New General Catalogue as NGC 869 and NGC 884.
C24	Perseus A	This object, a Seyfert galaxy, is situated near the centre of the Perseus Cluster of galaxies. A medium-size telescope is necessary to observe it. It is also catalogued as NGC 1275.
Cr 39	α Persei Cluster	The star α Per is the brightest member of this open cluster of stars.
Meteor Shower Radiants
007 PER	Perseids	Confusingly, the radiant for the Perseid meteor shower lies just inside the border of the neighbouring constellation Cassiopeia.
172 ZPE	ζ Perseids	This daytime radio shower is active from the end of May through June, with a peak occurring around 9 June.
208 SPE	September ε Perseids	Active for much of September, this shower peaks around the ninth of the month. This is usually a minor shower but sometimes has enhanced activity. Its parent body is unknown.