Cassiopeia (Cas)
"The Queen"

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Location:  R.A. = 1h, Dec. = 60 N

Mythology:  Cassiopeia was a beautiful and vain Queen of Ethiopia and was married to King Cepheus.  Her daughter is Andromeda. Cassiopeia's vanity angered the sea nymphs when she boasted that she and Andromeda were more beautiful than the Nereids, or the fifty Sea Nymphs, who were the daughters of the God Nereus, a gentle God who became known as the famous Old Man of the Sea. One of the Sea Nymphs, Amphitrite, was the Wife of Poseidon, the God of the Sea.  Because of this connection, the Sea Nymphs appealed to Poseidon (also known as Neptune) to punish Cassiopeia.  Poseidon sent the sea monster Cetus to attack Ethiopia, and Cepheus was forced to offer his daughter Andromeda as a sacrifice to Cetus by chaining her to rocks along the coast.  This part of the story goes on to tell how Perseus saved Andromeda and slay Cetus.
    Cassiopeia's involvement in the story does not end with the rescue of Andromeda.  As punishment, she is tied to her throne to revolve in the night sky, her pride shattered by the occasional "unladylike" positions the constellation's orientation puts her in.
    The constellation Cassiopeia is often referred to as a letter W, although some may call it an M, E, or the number 3.  Cassiopeia is also in the arm of the Milky Way Galaxy -- the pale band of light that represents the plane of our galaxy in the night sky.
    One other interesting note:  The story of Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda, and Perseus was depicted in the famous movie Clash of the Titans.

Other Interesting Sights:  The open cluster M103 is in the constellation Cassiopeia.
    Although in the constellation Perseus, the Double Cluster is found near the southern edge of the letter W, and is a spectacular sight through even a pair of binoculars.  I mention it here because it is often easier to find with reference to Cassiopeia than Perseus.  Although the two star clusters, NGC869 and NGC884,  appear to be side by side, that is actually an illusion because we are looking at them through the same line of sight.  One cluster is about 1,000 light-years further than the other.