✧ Cassiopeia's W Cassiopeia's W is an asterism in Cassiopeia. ·⡀ ⠳⡄ ⠙⣆ ⠈⢧⡀ ⠳⡄ ⠙⣆ ⠈•⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤•⡀ ⢳⡀ ⣠• ⠳⡄ ⣠⠞⠁ ⠹⡄ ⢀⡤⠞⠁ ⠙⣆ ⢀⡴⠋ ⠘⣆ ⣠⠴⠋ ⠈•⠁ Type Asterism Constellation Cassiopeia Stars 5 More information about Cassiopeia's W The W sits on the far side of Polaris, the pole star, from the Big Dipper, which means that from northern latitudes one of the two is always above the horizon, and whichever of them is higher at the time will point you towards the pole. The W is the queen Cassiopeia, who in the Greek story boasted that she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs and was punished by being tied to a chair and set turning around the pole forever, so that for half of every night she hangs upside down. In 1572 a star that nobody had ever recorded appeared inside this figure and became bright enough to be seen in daylight. It faded over the following year. That was a supernova, an exploding star, and the careful measurements the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe made of it helped prove that the sky beyond the planets was not the changeless place everyone had assumed. Not settled: The queen's name has no agreed derivation. Greek and Egyptian origins have both been argued and neither is settled. Etymology From English, after the Greek Reading Kassiopeia · Κασσιόπεια Literally unknown The evolution of Cassiopeia's W over time -50,000 years Segin ·⣄ ⠑⠢⣄ ⠑⠦⣄ ⠈⠑⢤⣀ ⠈⠑⢤⣀ Caph ⠈⠑⢤⡀ ⡠• ⠈⠑⢤⡀ ⣀⠤⠒⠉ ⠈⠒⢤⡀ ⣀⡤⠖⠋ ⠈⠒⢤⡀ ⢀⡠⠔⠋⠁ ⠈⠲⢤⡀ ⣀⠴⠊⠁ Navi •• Ruchbah ⢀⠤⠒⠉ ⠱⡄ ⢀⡠⠔⠊⠁ ⠘⣆ ⢀⣠⠴⠚⠁ ⠈⢆ ⣀⠤⠚⠉ ⢣⡀ ⢀⡠⠔⠉ ⠱⡀ ⢀⣠⠔⠊⠁ ⠘⣄ ⣠⠴⠚⠉ ⠈⢦ ⣀⠤⠒⠉ ⠈⢣⡠⠔⠊ • Schedar now ⢀⡀ Segin ·⣄ ⠈⢢⡀ ⠑⣄ ⠘⢆ ⠳⡀ ⠘⢆ ⠳⡀ ⠘⢆ ⠳⣀⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠊⠉⠉⠉⠉• Navi • Ruchbah ⠣⡀ ⠱⡄ ⢀⡠• Caph ⠹⡄ ⣠⠔⠉ ⠘⣄ ⢀⡠⠚ ⠈⢆ ⣠⠔⠉ ⠈⢢ ⡠⠎⠁ ⢣⡀ ⣀⠔⠋ ⢳⡀ ⡠⠎⠁ Schedar •⠋ +50,000 years ⡀ · Segin ⢸ ⣸ ⡇ ⢀⠇ ⢸ ⡜ ⣀⣀⡀ Navi ⡇ ⢀⣀⣀⣀⡠⠤⠤⠴⠒⠒⠒⠊⠉⠉⠉ •⡄ ⢰⠃ ⢀⣀⣀⣀⡤⠤⠤⠤⠒⠒⠒⠉⠉⠉⠉ ⠘⡄ Ruchbah •⠋⠉⠉⠁ ⠘⡄ ⠘⣄ ⠘⣆ ⠘⢆ ⠈⢆ ⠈⢆ ⠈⢧ ⢀⣀⣈⣧ Caph •⠋⠉⠉⠉⠉⠁ • Schedar Over 50,000 years either way the longest side of this figure changes by 144%, and the furthest any of its stars travels is 8.0 degrees. Proper motion only: this is the shape changing, not the sky turning or the pole moving. curl 'skymap.sh/Cassiopeia%27s%20W/evolution.gif' where it is tonight: skymap.sh/Cassiopeia's W