Cetus

(SEE-tuss)

The Sea Monster

 

Cetus, the Sea Monster, is a sprawl of mostly faint stars lurking in the depths of the Autumn sky.  It represents the creature threatening  Princess Andromeda.

 

Visibility at 8 PM (9 Daylight Saving):  The Sea Monster surfaces from the eastern in October, rises midway up the southern sky in December, and dives in the west in February.

 

What to look for:  Cetus swims south and east of Princess Andromeda, Pisces the Fish and Aries the Ram.  It's brightest star is second magnitude Diphda, Beta Ceti, near the mouth of the Sea Monster.  The next brightest star, Menkar, Alpha Ceti, is magnitude 2.5, located in the Monster's tail.  The famous long-period variable star Mira, Omicron Ceti, has a maximum brightness of 3.4.  Also of interest is Tau Ceti, one of the nearest stars at only 11.9 light-years from the Sun.

 

Cetus and Andromeda

 

Mythology:  Although "Cetus" is Latin for "whale," the constellation Cetus represents an exotic creature unlike anything as familiar as an actual whale.  It is the monster sent by Poseidon (Neptune in Latin), God of the Sea, to ravage ancient Ethiopia to punish Queen Cassiopeia for her vanity in boasting that she was more beautiful than the god's daughters, the Sea Nymphs.  To save their kingdom, King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia were forced to offer in sacrifice that which they loved most in all the world, their daughter, the Princess Andromeda.  How the Greek Hero Perseus came to the rescue is told on Andromeda's page.