Starwatch: Cassiopeia, Queen of the northern sky

The unmistakeable W-shaped constellation represents a queen punished for claiming that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids

The constellation of Cassiopeia, the Queen, was one of the 48 constellations detailed by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. The constellation is most notable because of its W shape, which is said to represent the Queen sitting on her throne. She was placed in the stars as a punishment for believing that her daughter Andromeda was more beautiful than the sea nymphs.