✧ Cepheus

  Cepheus is an asterism in Cepheus.

                    ·⣄
                     ⠈⢧⡀
                       ⠙⢦⡀
                         ⠹⣄
                          ⠈⠳⣄
                           ⢀⣨·
                       ⢀⣠⠴⠚⠉ ⠘⡆
                     ·⠚⠉      ⢳
                     ⠘⡆       ⠘⡆
                      ⢹       ⣠•⠤⠤⠤⠤·
                      ⠈⣇   ⢀⡤⠞⠁
                       ⢸⡀⣀⡴⠋
                      ·⠤·⠁

  Type            Asterism
  Constellation   Cepheus
  Stars           7

  More information about Cepheus

  Cepheus is not bright, but it is easy to recognise once you have seen
  it: five stars in the outline of a child's drawing of a house, with the
  point of the roof aimed at Polaris. One of those five, Delta Cephei, is
  the star that the entire measured scale of the universe rests on. It
  brightens and fades on a strict cycle of 5.4 days, and in 1912 the
  American astronomer Henrietta Leavitt showed that for every star of this
  type the length of the cycle reveals how much light the star is
  genuinely giving off. Compare that with how bright it looks from here
  and you have its distance, which for Delta Cephei itself works out at
  about 980 light years. It was the first reliable way to measure anything
  beyond our own neighbourhood. Nearby is Mu Cephei, known as the Garnet
  Star, one of the reddest stars that can be seen without a telescope.

  Not settled: The king's name has no agreed derivation.

  Etymology
  From        Greek
  Reading     Kepheus  ·  Κηφεύς
  Literally   unknown

  The evolution of Cepheus over time

  -50,000 years
  
                             Errai ·⣄
                                     ⠑⠦⡀
                                       ⠈⠲⢄
                                          ⠙⠢⣀
                                             ⠙⠢⣀
                                               ⠈⠑⢤⡀ Alfirk
                                          ⣀⣀⡠⠤⠔⠒⠚⠉·⡄
                                    ·⠔⠒⠒⠉⠉         ⠘⡄
                                     ⢧              ⠘⡄
                                     ⠈⢆              ⠘⣄
                                      ⠘⡄              ⠘⡄
                                       ⠹⡀              ⠘⡄
                                        ⢣              ⢀⡸• Alderamin
                                         ⢇         ⢀⣠⠴⠚⠁ ⠘⢆
                                         ⠈⣆     ⣠⠴⠚⠉       ⢳⡀
                                       ⠤⣀⣀⡘⡄⣀⠤⠒⠉            ⠑⣄
                                       ·  ⠉·                 ⠈⢦
                                                               ⠣⡀
                                                                ⠙⡄
                                                                 ·
  
  now
  
  
                                Errai ·⢄
                                        ⠑⢄
                                          ⠙⢤
                                            ⠙⢤
                                              ⠑⢄
                                                ⠑⢄
                                                  ⠑⣄ Alfirk
                                               ⣀⠤⠒⠉·⡆
                                           ⢀⠤⠒⠉     ⢱
                                       ⢀⡠⠔⠊⠁        ⠈⡆
                                       ·             ⢸⡀
                                       ⠈⢆             ⣇
                                        ⠘⡄            ⠸⡀ Alderamin
                                         ⠸⡄         ⢀⡠⠒•⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉·
                                          ⠹⡀      ⣀⠔⠉
                                           ⢳⡀  ⢀⡤⠊⠁
                                        ⠠⠤⢄⣀⣣⡠⠒⠁
                                         ·   ·
  
  
  +50,000 years
  
                                             · Errai
                                              ⠳⡀
                                               ⠑⢄     ⢠·
                                                ⠈⢦    ⢸
                                                 ⠈⠣⡀  ⠸⡄
                                                   ⠱⡄  ⡇
                                                    ⠘⢄ ⡇
                                                     ⠈⢧⡇
                                                      ⣠· Alfirk
                                                    ⡠⠚ ⢹
                                                 ⢀⡰⠊   ⢸
                                               ⢀⡤⠋     ⢸
                                             ⢀⠔⠃       ⢸
                                            ·⠁         ⢸⡀
                                             ⢣         ⣠• Alderamin
                                              ⢧      ⢀⠜⠁
                                              ⠈⢧    ⡠⠋
                                               ⠈⢧ ⢠⠎⠁
                                             ·⠲⠤⠬⠖⠁
                                                 ·

  Over 50,000 years either way the longest side of this figure changes by 4%, and the furthest
  any of its stars travels is 16.1 degrees. HR 7957, HR 8694 and Errai drift the opposite way to
  the other 4, which travel together. Proper motion only: this is the shape changing, not the
  sky turning or the pole moving.

  curl 'skymap.sh/Cepheus/evolution.gif'

  where it is tonight:  skymap.sh/Cepheus