This entry is part of the h2g2as constellations
project.

There exists an external provisional star chart created for this entry.

Perseus is a typical constellation of the autumn and winter sky. However
from European latitudes (or more northern) the constellation is at least partly
circumpolar. It is very easy to find, since it is surrounded by very famous
constellation such as the 'w' of Cassiopeia, Auriga, Andromeda, and Taurus. It
is directly above the Pleiades.

Perseus is a hero in Greek mythology. Unfortunately his story has been told
in various versions. All sources agree that he was the son of Zeus and the
mortal Danaë¹.

He and his mother had to flee on an island where King Polydectes ruled. He
married Danaë and sent Perseus, after he had grown up, out in the world
for adventures; he was supposed to cut off the head of the terrible monster
woman Medusa.²

Medusa used to be a beautiful servant of Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of
Wisdom. But in hybris she compared herself with Athena, and so Athena turned
her into a Gorgon, a terrible creature with snakes instead of hair and boar
teeth. She was so frightening that everybody who looked in her face turned to
a rock.³

In any case Perseus was a favourite of Athena and Hermes the god messenger.
So he got valuable items from them: A magic-hood for becoming invisible, winged
sandals so that he could fly, a sickle, a very well polished shield, and a bag.
With this equipment he approached Medusa while she and her Gorgon
sisters⁴ were sleeping. He watched them indirectly via the mirror to
avoid being turned into a rock. He cut off her head with the sickle and put it
in the bag. Perseus sometimes used this head as a powerful weapon by just
showing it to the enemy.

His second heroic deed was the rescue of Andromeda, daughter of King Cepheus
and Queen Cassiopeia, from the sea monster Cetus, the whale. Perseus married
Andromeda and became ancestor of a whole people. All of the main figures of
this legend have been set in the sky by the Gods. Even Medusa found its place:
The star Algol represents her eye.

The brighest star is Mirphak, a white supergiant.

Algol is a particularly interesting star. It belongs to a class of
variables that bears Algol's name. Stars of that kind actually consist of two
stars that are in orbit around each other with a rather high frequency. So,
within days, the smaller component is visible next to or in front of the bigger
component, or hidden behind it. Consequently we see a change in
brightness.

As already mentioned, Algol represented the terrible eye of Medusa for the
Greek; in ancient Arabia it was a devilish demon called Gul. For the
Hebrew people Algol was Lilith, Adam's first wife, who had turned to a
vampire.

ε Persei is a double star that is worth being
mentioned. Its smaller component has a brightness of 7^m, and
the distance is about 9".

Perseus is rich in open stellar clusters. M34 is a very nice one.
It is particularly interesting for the not so well equipped stargazer.

NGC 884 and NGC 869 are a very famous cluster pair.
They are a marvellous sight in a small telescope. Don't magnify too much.
They are better known as 'h' and 'χ Persei'.

The Perseids are probably the most famous meteor shower. With a
large gap to the second, they are the most intensive one. You can watch them
from 20th July to 19th August, with the maximum around the 11th August. The
shooting stars are pretty fast. Their origin is a comet with the stange name
1862 III.

Stars, Clusters, and Nebulae