Saturday, April 01, 2017

The Letter A: Andromeda



For this year’s A-Z Challenge, I am looking at “heavenly bodies.”  Today, we’re looking up at a babe in the sky: the constellation Andromeda.  These stars are best spotted in the evening during the fall in the northeast sky (assuming you are in the northern hemisphere or not too far below the equator.  The constellation is nestled in just below the constellation Cassiopeia (the W in the sky) and to the west of the winged horse, Pegasus (the giant square).  The constellation may pale in comparison to Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Pegasus.  Yet, many of the stars within the constellation are bright and come off the corner of the great square and run out in a line above Cassiopeia.  Another noble feature is that our neighboring galaxy (only 2.4 million light years away), also named Andromeda (often in sky charts as m31), can be found adjacent to constellation.  The galaxy which, in a dark sky, appears like a hazy star with the naked eye, can best be viewed with the aid of binoculars or a telescope. 
Andromeda (m31) galaxy
It takes some imagination to make Andromeda out of the line of stars which make up the constellation.  In ancient drawings, the constellation features an attractive women with flowing hair dressed in a gown, with cuffs and dangling chains on her wrist and/or a chain around her waist.  She's the original damsel in distress and many artists have depicted her story.

According to legend, Andromeda was the daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia of Ethiopia.  She was beautiful, but vain.  And her mother was even vainer as she bragged how her daughter was even more beautiful than the Nereids.  This upset Poseidon, who sent the sea monster Cetus to wreak havoc on the people of Ethiopia.  Learning that the only way to satisfy the monsters appetite was the sacrifice Andromeda, the princess was chained by the sea.  With the sea monster licking its chops, Perseus, who has just killed Medusa, happens by (some say riding on the winged horses Pegasus).  Seeing the beautiful woman chained was too much.  He saves her, marries her, and they lived happily ever after in the winter sky  Perseus is next to Andromeda, on the opposite side of her mother, Cassiopeia.


The Andromeda story is ancient.  There are some rocks outside of the ancient city of Joppa (now Tel Aviv, Israel) in which ancient writers indicated at the site of Andromeda’s bondage.  I don’t understand why the site is so far from Ethiopia, but in this world of monsters and flying horses, all is possible.    

#atozchallenge

29 comments:

  1. Without lights and other development, I guess those in ancient days had time to concoct these elaborate stories.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Andromeda was in quite a pickle until old Perseus swooped down and saved her. I've always wondered how they came to name a constellation after her. Love your A to Z theme. I'll pop in once in awhile to see your other heavenly bodies.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A great insight into Andromeda. I will look out for it in the next dark cloudless night...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love myths! Also, Andromeda will one day collide with the Milky Way, of course. Many, many years from now!

    ReplyDelete
  5. A to Z blog hopping! I really enjoyed this! Thank you for including pictures...very helpful!
    ~Katie
    TheCyborgMom

    ReplyDelete
  6. The galaxy wasn't really seen until the earl of Ross here in Ireland built his 6' diameter mirror, Leviathan, at Birr. That was after 1845.
    Nowadays a good 12" will give you a lot of the substance.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am a fan of legends and myths and fairy tales and always enjoy reading your insightful look at the books you've read! Enjoy your weekend and take care! I bet spring is in full bloom where you are!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love astronomy, even if I am terrible at locating constellations. (and I live where there's a decently dark night sky) I enjoyed this post and look forward to the rest of the alphabet!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for this fascinating and informative post. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love looking up at the night sky, we get wonderful clear nights where I live (no street lights so no light pollution). But I'm hopeless at spotting the constellations. I'll have to have another go at finding what goes where. ;-)

    Cait @ Click's Clan

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've seen these constellations before and still struggle to see the shapes they represent. Ancient stargazers spent a lot of time staring at the night sky. Over time they attempted to make sense of it all. Thanks for an interesting post!
    "Female Scientists Before Our Time"
    Shells–Tales–Sails

    ReplyDelete
  12. How interesting. I love stargazing and try to see the constellations. Some I can see clearly- others create different shapes in my mind. I do love hearing the story you shared. Interesting about the rocks! :)
    ~Jess

    ReplyDelete
  13. This was a fascinating read. I love stars but haven't ever studied them in detail to know the constellations. I'm looking forward to reading more.
    Anger #Lexicon of Leaving

    ReplyDelete
  14. I’d heard of Andromeda, but I didn’t know the legend behind the name. Thanks for teaching me something!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

    ReplyDelete
  15. "It takes some imagination to make Andromeda out of the line of stars which make up the constellation. In ancient drawings, the constellation features an attractive women with flowing hair dressed in a gown, with cuffs and dangling chains on her wrist and/or a chain around her waist. She's the original damsel in distress and many artists have depicted her story." ... nice, friend Sage ... not ...cuz it makes me remember my visit to Greece and looking at those ruins, when the guide says to me: "O, come on, use your imagination!" ... a nice lil Greek salad would have been "nice" ... but it was not included in the tour ... Love, cat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ... anyway, thanks for learning me sumthin 2day, friend Sage ... smiles ... Love, cat.

      Delete
  16. I didn't know any of that so I just learned something.

    ReplyDelete
  17. A to Z hopping! I have been able to see Cassiopeia, but never Andromeda. I will have to grab binoculars and take a closer look.

    Jessica @ Simply Infatuated

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wait, the tied up the princess of Ethiopia in Israel? I don't understand...

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love astronomy, and I didn't know the story of Andromeda. Great post! :)

    A to Z 2017: Magical and Medicinal Herbs

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm too far south to view the whole constellation of Andromeda, but if I'm out bush, away from light pollution, I can get M31.

    I'm also blogging about Astronomy, though probably a bit more hardcore than you are.

    I've known the legend of Andromeda. Always bemused me to see her portrayed as a European, rather than an African.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And the fact they have her tied up on the Mediterranean Sea and not the Indian Ocean or Red Sea is also telling!

      Delete
  21. Just think, in only a few billion years or so Andromeda and our Milky Way galaxy will have a huge galactic smashup and eventually merge.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Not a topic I know much about but fascinating to read what you've shared here. Puts life in a whole new perspective. We are just a tiny part of this vast, wonderful universe.🎆

    ReplyDelete
  23. It is interesting to learn the stories and legends behind the names of the constellations. Looking at the stars has a way of reminding us of our very small part in the universe.

    ReplyDelete
  24. An interesting read ...
    Many thanks

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  25. I'm going to be in the Mojave Desert in the near future. Your post is reminding me of how much I miss the dark night sky. Now I'm hoping to get out on a cloudless night away from the lights to view the sky. It would be fun to try and pick out Andromeda which is probably the first galaxy I learned about after the Milky Way. I can't remember a time when I didn't know about Andromeda. thanks for this awesome series!

    ReplyDelete