Cassiopeia the Queen is overhead on autumn evenings
Spot the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen somewhere in the northern sky during much of the year, and throughout much of the night. It's high overhead now. The post Cassiopeia the Queen is overhead on autumn evenings first appeared on EarthSky .
During October and November evenings, the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen can be found high in the sky, close to Polaris, the North Star. Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper are like riders on opposite sides of a Ferris wheel, spinning counterclockwise around Polaris each day. Whenever Cassiopeia rises upward, the Big Dipper descends, and vice versa.
To locate Cassiopeia, imagine a star hop from the Big Dipper's handle through Polaris, which reliably points to Cassiopeia. Despite its small size, Cassiopeia is easily recognizable due to its distinctive M or W-shaped pattern. It is visible even on moonlit nights and, for those living north of 40 degrees north latitude, remains above the horizon at all times. Cassiopeia's mythology features a vain queen who was transformed into a constellation.
Written by urgent.news from EarthSky's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
