Welcome, my name is Janine and in this video we'll learn about the constellation known as
Andromeda. Andromeda is represented as a chained maiden and it is referenced to a story in greek
mythology about Cassiopeia and Cepheus and their daughter Andromeda. Andromeda is an ancient
constellation and most myths are associated with the greek versions. However there are records of
Andromeda that predate the greek civilization. It's recorded as one of Tomi's 48 constellations
in the second century which was the authority on constellations in the western arena.
Andromeda is most known for the Andromeda galaxy that sits within its boundaries and as you're
looking at this star pattern right here this is the Andromeda galaxy. So when can you see
Andromeda it's best seen in the northern hemisphere during the autumn months
and the best way to look for it is to find the Great Square of Pegasus. If you want to learn more
about that constellation go see the Pegasus video, click on that link, and then Pegasus and Andromeda
share a star so that's how they're always connected. So if you can find Pegasus you
can definitely find Andromeda. The Andromeda Galaxy is one of the coolest things to see
in the autumn sky because it looks like a little fuzzy patch of light and you can see it with
the unaided eye if you live in an area that has little light pollution. This is the oldest light
that you can see with the unaided eye because it takes 2.5 million years for that light to reach us
it is the most distant object that you can see with the visible eye. Now there's also a few
versions of this star pattern when I was growing up and looking at my books throughout throughout
time this is the constellation pattern that I see often and I still see Andromeda depicted like this
and I'm okay with it in the sense that these are the stars that you can see most easily when you're
looking for this constellation. So for a shape I would say it's kind of like a curved letter V um
so that's the pattern that I look for in the sky and the strategy I use to find Andromeda Galaxy.
I learned this from another stargazer, is you start at this head star right here you count
one two three then one two three and that's how you can find the Andromeda Galaxy and later in
this video I'll give you some other strategies on how to find Andromeda too. This is also the
other star pattern, this is the official star pattern of Andromeda and it resembles more of
a human figure so this would be the head of Andromeda, this would be her torso, her arms,
this is where she would be chained to the rock, and then here are her legs. So, one thing to keep
in mind is that there are a variety of different star patterns however this is the one recognized
by the international astronomical union, but as you look at other resources you may see
this pattern as well. Now let's review the star pattern that Andromeda makes across the sky.
Here we have the official star map released by the International Astronomical Union and as I
said earlier it's represented as a chain woman and it's classified as a seasonal constellation
so when you're looking at this star map there's a few things that should stand out. One is this
this little red object right here and that's the Andromeda Galaxy here you can see I oriented this
picture to show you how it mirrors the star map right here. So here you would have the head, this
is her torso, here is the arm where she is chained to the rock, and right here as well ,and then here
are her legs right there. The other thing I want you to notice is Cassiopeia right here because
Cassiopeia can be used to guide you towards the Andromeda Galaxy. One part of this pattern almost
looks like an arrow that can guide you right down to the Andromeda Galaxy and if you draw a straight
line through the beta star of Andromeda that will take you to the Triangulum Galaxy situated in the
constellation of Triangulum. So let's get some practice with looking for this constellation
and see if you can point out the pattern. So here we have a picture. So what stands out
to you in these pictures? First you can see the brightest stars are right here. This is the alpha
beta and gamma stars of this constellation and then this little fuzzy patch of light that's the
Andromeda Galaxy right there and if we were to point out the star pattern for Andromeda
this is the version I grew up knowing, where it kind of looks like this slanted letter V,
and this is kind of the pattern you're more most likely to see in the sky especially you have any
type of light pollution in the sky but then here again is that that alternate pattern of
Andromeda so if we're going to get a little bit more practice here okay. So there's quite a few
constellations in this picture and the one that I notice the most would be Cassiopeia and this
is a slightly grainy photo but we can still work with it but right here this is Cassiopeia. So you
can use this little arrow part of Cassiopeia to guide you down towards Andromeda and can
you find that fuzzy patch of light? So if we were to point everything out here this is Cassiopeia,
use that little arrow to aim you down towards Andromeda Galaxy, and then here is Andromeda.
There's a few other constellation as well. There's Perseus which is right here. You can
see Triangulum, right there, that's kind of an easy little triangle to point out in the sky.
We also have Aries, no oops no i i'm incorrect, this is still Perseus, Aries is down here
and then here you can see part of Pegasus. That's two of the stars of the Great Square of Pegasus
and then here's another great diagram. This is one that you know the stars have been
digitally enhanced so you can see it a little bit better but it gives you an idea of
where everything is that surrounds Andromeda. So you have Pegasus down here, Cepheus right here,
Cassiopeia, Perseus and Triangulum and then down here would be Aries which is not labeled.
The jewel of the autumn sky really is the Andromeda Galaxy and here you can see this
gorgeous picture of the Andromeda Galaxy and a few of the satellite galaxies that it has.
In fact Andromeda has 15 different satellite galaxies that are moving around this larger
galaxy, and Andromeda Galaxy is considered one of the sister galaxies to our own Milky Way Galaxy.
In fact we will eventually collide with that galaxy some 2.5 million years from now, but
what I want to do is get a little bit of practice with how to find Andromeda in the sky and what to
look for. So here is a gorgeous picture and I love it because there's quite a few things to see here.
One of the first things that my eye is drawn to is the Milky Way Galaxy right here this is our own
home, Milky Way Galaxy. Another feature I see is this cone of light that's coming off the horizon
and that's known as Zodiacal Light. If you want to know more about Zodiacal Light go see that video.
I can also see the Pleiades very clearly. I can see Orion and then I use the belt stars to point
down towards Sirius which is the brightest star in the night sky, but we're trying to focus on
Andromeda. So for me I'm struggling to find Andromeda but the thing that stands out to me is
Andromeda Galaxy which is this little fuzzy patch of light right here. It's a spiral little galaxy,
well I shouldn't call it little because it is huge. It's twice the size of the milky way galaxy,
but you can see that disc like shape right there and from there I start to point out
some of the other constellations, but before I even point out Andromeda which is in this region
I can see Pegasus, The Great Square of Pegasus right here, and then there I can find Andromeda
because it is attached to Pegasus. So that's a great picture to help you just learn where
everything is in the sky and it has a really wide view so you can see a lot. Here's another similar
picture that can be seen. Here we have the Milky Way and my eyes are drawn immediately to this
little disc which is the Andromeda Galaxy. I have a few other pictures that we can use for practice.
Here it's super obvious where the Andromeda Galaxy is, right there and then my strategy
to find it here is that V-shape pattern that I'm tracing out right here. That's Andromeda,
but the strategy I use to find it is you count start with the first star of Andromeda count one
two three then, one two three and you should try to find that little fuzzy patch. Here's one more
version I have of Andromeda for you to practice with. The thing that stands out of course is the
Andromeda Galaxy, but you can also see another galaxy, the triangular one. So here's Andromeda
and here is the V-shape pattern right there of Andromeda and if you draw a line through the
beta star downwards. That's a Triangulum Galaxy and this is the constellation known as Triangulum
both are both of these are ancient constellations. So use Andromeda Galaxy to help you find the
Triangulum galaxy and of course you would need a really dark area sky to be able to see
these features as well. So I encourage you to seek out those dark skies. Try to find a place away
from light pollution so some of these features of the night sky can be pointed out and if we were to
point out Andromeda, this is um, this is a picture that was given to me by a friend, David Cochlin,
he has some of his photos are pictured in this presentation and you can see, when his,
when his computer plots this out this is the pattern he's given for Andromeda. So just another
example of how many variety of star patterns you can see depending upon the source that you are
working with. Here of course is Triangulum and you can see both galaxies right here.
Now we'll examine a legend of Andromeda that's associated with this pattern of stars and remember
there is no one true constellation story for any pattern as the legends of the stars vary depending
upon the culture time and place. So I mentioned before that greek myth about the chained maiden
and there's there's a story that goes along with this and i've i've heard many variations, but
here's kind of the general the general overview of this story and it's about a whole family.
So the queen back in greek ancient times Queen Cassiopeia, she boasted of her beauty,
some say they boasted of her daughter's beauty but i've most often heard that Queen
Cassiopeia boasted of her own beauty and this angered the Nereids and they were companions
of Poseidon they were sea nymphs uh this upset them, so they told Poseidon and Poseidon decided
to send Cetus, he was a sea monster, and he was sent to just ravage the coastland. King Cepheus
who was married to the queen consulted an oracle and they advised both the King and the Queen
to sacrifice their daughter in order to stop the devastation. So Andromeda was chained to a rock
and to be sacrificed to Cetus. However Perseus was nearby and he heard Andromeda and Perseus is the
uh the greek figure that slew Medusa um and Medusa was the one that you know if you if she looked at
you you would turn to stone. So um he used the head of Medusa to turn Cetus into stone. Now of
course there are so many variations on this story. Remember that the mythologies of the stars vary
according to time place and culture there is no one true mythology for any constellation just
a variety of them. We've come to the end of our video about Andromeda. So let's review
everything we've learned so far. It's best seen in the autumn months and is classified as
a seasonal constellation. The best way to find it is to look for the Great Square of Pegasus.
The star of Alfreds is the alpha star of Andromeda and the celestial objects you want to try to find
are the Andromeda Galaxy, which is the oldest light you can see with the naked eye. There are
a variety of patterns that are associated with Andromeda. This pattern right here is really
just a marking of the stars that stand out the most with Andromeda. However the official star
map pattern from the International Astronomical Union is listed here. So I hope this was helpful
for you to find Andromeda and get a little bit of background on this constellation and use those
different strategies I taught you in order to find the Andromeda Galaxy. Remember if you are trying
to find the Andromeda Galaxy and you're looking at this V shape right here start at Alfreds count one
two three, then jump over one two three and that's how you can find the Andromeda Galaxy. I wish you
luck trying to find this constellation remember it takes time practice and patience and dark skies in
order to find the star patterns. Remember keep going outside look up and share what you have
learned with others. Take care I'd like to send a huge thank you and shout out to David Cochlin for
allowing me to use his amazing photos for this video be sure to check him out on twitter.
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