Mythology
The Chained Princess
Andromeda was the daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and King Cepheus of Ethiopia. Her tale begins with her mother’s pride.
Cassiopeia boasted that her daughter was more beautiful than the sea nymphs, the Nereids. Enraged, the gods sent a sea monster to devastate their land. To appease the wrath of Poseidon, Andromeda was chained to a rock as a sacrifice.
Just before her fate was sealed, the hero Perseus arrived, fresh from slaying Medusa. He turned the sea monster to stone using Medusa’s head and saved Andromeda.
The two later married, and she was immortalized among the stars by the gods.
Celestial Facts
Our Neighbor in the Cosmos
- Best seen in autumn (September–November) in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Home to the Andromeda Galaxy (M31)—the nearest spiral galaxy to Earth.
- Features Alpheratz, her brightest star, shared with the Pegasus constellation.
- It’s coming for us! – The Andromeda Galaxy is actually on a collision course with the Milky Way, and they’re expected to merge in about 4 billion years.
Tips!
- Find Cassiopeia’s “W” in the sky—follow it east to trace her daughter’s path.
- Let your eyes adjust! Spend at least 15-20 minutes in the dark without looking at your phone or bright lights—your night vision needs time to activate.
- Look for the four bright stars forming a large square—follow the top-left star (Alpheratz) outward to trace Andromeda’s “body.”