The map of the starry sky is an incredibly attractive and fascinating sight, especially if it is a dark night sky. Against the backdrop of the Milky Way stretching along a hazy road, both bright and slightly hazy stars that make up various constellations are perfectly visible. One of these constellations, located almost entirely in the Milky Way, is the constellation Perseus.
Legend of the constellation Perseus
The constellation Perseus (the legend of which is unusually beautiful) is quite interesting from the point of view of science. But now it's not about that, but about love. The arrangement of the stars of the constellation resembles a man in a high hat on his head. And here is the story of the constellation. According to an old legend, Perseus was the illegitimate child of Zeus and the royal daughter. At one time, a prophecy was revealed to the ruler that he would die at the hands of his own grandson. Frightened by the prediction, the king closed the beautiful Danae in the tower. But Zeus, who fell in love with an earthly girl, made his way into the dungeon, turningin golden rain. Soon the princess gave birth to a son. And in order to get rid of the unwanted baby, the king ordered the mother and baby to be imprisoned in a barrel and thrown into the sea. The young mother and baby survived, but the barrel landed on the shore of the island.
When the young handsome Perseus became an adult, he accomplished many feats. And during his adventures, the young man found his love - the beautiful Andromeda. As an adult, he took part in discus throwing competitions, where he accidentally killed his own grandfather. Here is such a beautiful story about a constellation with a slightly sad ending.
The history of the ancient constellation
The constellation Perseus, located in the northern celestial hemisphere, was discovered by ancient astronomers. And it is best seen in the starry sky from November to March. On a cloudless and moonless night, it will not be difficult to distinguish all ninety stars of the constellation even with the naked eye, since the constellation contains stars of both second and third magnitude.
Open star clusters in the constellation Perseus were discovered by astronomers a long time ago. In particular, at the end of the 19th century, an American astronomer discovered the emission nebula. This is a rather beautiful phenomenon that can be viewed with a modern telescope. The constellation Perseus (whose photo can be seen in the article) is mentioned in the catalog of the starry sky, dated to the second century AD.
The location of Perseus in the starry firmament
The constellation is quite visible throughoutterritory of Russia. The most favorable conditions for visibility are in December.
The constellation Andromeda and Perseus (the constellation we are considering) are located nearby. And if you want to find Perseus in the sky, then first of all you need to find Andromeda. In the constellation of beloved Perseus there is a straight line made up of several stars. Then continue the line to the east, and it will point you to the starry Perseus.
Star neighbors
Like any other, the constellation Perseus in the sky has neighbors. From the east it borders on Cassiopeia, in the west it touches the Charioteer. In the southeast of Perseus, you can easily find the constellation Taurus. In addition, the constellations of Andromeda and Perseus are very close - even here the lover does not let go of his beauty.
The winking devil in the constellation
Correcting to his legendary image, Perseus on the heavenly map is depicted as a warrior with the head of a Medusa Gorgon on his belt.
The constellation Perseus was observed by astronomers from different countries, and this star cluster attracted them with its mystery and originality. In the Middle Ages, Arab astronomers were actively engaged in its study. It was they who were the first to notice that upon a detailed examination of the head of a jellyfish, one can notice that one of her eyes remains motionless, and the other seems to wink from time to time. And this star in the constellation Perseus received the name "devil", or in Arabic - Algol.
The first European astronomer who deeply studied the phenomenon of the blinking Algol was an Italian astronomer-physicist who lived in the 17th century. However, his researchdid not bring him any closer to understanding the regularity with which the star blinks. Astronomers managed to determine this only at the end of the 18th century, observing the star throughout every night. Thanks to such methodical work, it was possible to establish that there is a strict periodicity in Algol's "winks".
For two and a half days, the star's shine remains invariably bright. For the next nine hours, its brightness begins to gradually decrease, and then increases again to its initial value. The interval between "winks" is approximately two days and twenty-one hours.
Clearing the mystery of Algol
It was this conclusion that made it possible for astronomers to assume the presence of another celestial body that revolves around a twinkling star. At the end of the 19th century, this assumption became a scientifically confirmed fact. Scientists have received confirmation of their guesses by finding a satellite in Algol. It is he who periodically outshines the star, causing fluctuations in the strength of the brilliance.
This star was the first celestial body discovered by astronomers with the characteristics of an eclipsing variable star. And even after that, the interest of scientists in the study of this heavenly beauty did not disappear. Thanks to this increased attention, it was possible to establish the presence of another satellite located at a greater distance than the first. Due to its sufficient remoteness, the twinkling of the star Algol does not cause it, nor does it cause an eclipse of the star itself.
Sparkling swarm of stars in Perseus
This is one of the most beautiful clusters of stars found by scientists in the constellation Perseus. With the naked eye, only a small bright spot can be seen. But if you carefully look at it through a telescope, you can see an unforgettable cluster of stars in its beauty. Hundreds of sparkling luminaries create the impression of a small heavenly holiday. In addition, it has two clusters of celestial bodies.
These open clusters in the constellation have a different distance from the Earth and a different number of stars in their composition. The first cluster is more numerous than the second. The difference in number is about a hundred celestial bodies. Astronomers who carefully observe clusters have come to the conclusion that the stars in their composition are not random, gathered without any system. There is a hypothesis that they are all formed from a single pre-stellar form of matter.
Besides, in the middle of the 20th century, an astronomer from Holland made another interesting discovery: the stars of the second cluster scatter in all directions from its central part. He was also able to calculate that this association of stars arose relatively recently.
In general, the star clusters of Perseus are interesting for researchers because they are the most numerous. The California diffuse nebula, located in the constellation Perseus, is also of interest to researchers. It, according to the observations of scientists, is illuminated by a fairly large star. The distance from Earth to this bright nebula is about 2000 light years.
Second variable star
BIn the constellation Perseus, besides Algol, there is another variable star. It can also be observed without a telescope. The time range of its twinkling is not constant, like that of the “devil” star, but fits into the interval from 33 to 55 days. Such a phenomenon of inconstancy is not fully understood by astronomers, nor is the cause of flickering.
Watching this beautiful star is a pleasure. But since scientists are used to combining business with pleasure, it was found that this star also has a satellite. At the same time, its dimensions are somewhat smaller than the size of the star itself.
Watching this pair through a telescope, astronomers called them "heavenly diamonds" because of the amazing combination of colors. The main star burns with a beautiful orange light, and its small companion has a mysterious bluish glow.
Perseus meteor showers
For those who are actively interested in meteorites, astronomers offer to view the fascinating spectacle of a meteor shower in the constellation Perseus. There is a meteor shower for summer time. This is approximately from mid-July to the end of August. The peak of rain falls in mid-August. Astronomers have named this active meteor shower the Perseid.
In the night sky you can see a huge number of wonderful constellations, many of which require more careful study and consideration. This also applies to the constellation Perseus. Despite many perfect discoveries, it will be studied by many more generations of people. What still remains far "behind the scenes" of modern astronomical science, perhaps in a few decades will amaze humanitythe magnitude of his discovery.
