Cetus Constellation | Constellations In The Southern Hemisphere
CETUS CONSTELLATION – In this topic, we are going to know and learn about the southern constellation Cetus, the Whale.
It is one of the southern constellations in the sky. It means “the whale” and is one of the one of the largest constellations in the sky.
It was named after Cetus, the sea monster from the Greek myth about Andromeda. The latter was to be sacrificed to the monster as punishment for her mother’s boastfulness.
The constellation lies in the region of the sky called the Water. It is home to the barred spiral galaxy Messier 77 and the stars Diphda, Menkar, Tau Ceti and Mira.
It is the fourth largest constellation in the night sky and occupies an area of about 1231 square degrees. It lies in SQ1, the first quadrant of the southern hemisphere.
Cetus belongs to the Perseus family, along with Andromeda, Auriga, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Lacerta, Pegasus, Perseus, and Triangulum.
Three meteor showers are associated with Cetus. They are October Cetids, the Eta Cetids, and the Omicron Cetids.
Stars
Among the stars include:
- Axólotl
- Baten Kaitos
- Diphda
- Kaffaljidhma
- Menkar
- Mira
- Mpingo
- Felixvarela
- Tau Ceti
READ ALSO: Caelum Constellation | Constellations In The Northern Hemisphere
