Cetus constellation is located in the northern sky. Also known as the Whale, it is one of the largest constellations in the sky.
The constellation was named after Cetus, the sea monster from the Greek myth about Andromeda. In the myth, the princess was sacrificed to the monster as punishment for her mother Cassiopeia’s boastfulness. The constellation Cetus lies in the region of the sky called the Water, along with several other constellations with names evocative of water: Eridanus (the river), Aquarius (the water bearer), Pisces (the fish), etc. It was catalogued by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century.
Cetus is home to the barred spiral galaxy Messier 77 and several well-known stars: Deneb Kaitos (Beta Ceti), Menkar (Alpha Ceti), Tau Ceti and the famous variable star Mira (Omicron Ceti).
FACTS, LOCATION & MAP
Cetus is the fourth largest constellation in the sky, occupying an area of 1231 square degrees. It lies in the first quadrant of the southern hemisphere (SQ1) and can be seen at latitudes between +70° and -90°. The neighboring constellations are Aquarius, Aries, Eridanus, Fornax, Pisces, Sculptor, and Taurus.
Cetus belongs to the Perseus family of constellations, along with Andromeda, Auriga, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Lacerta, Pegasus, Perseus, and Triangulum.
Cetus has 14 stars with known planets and contains one Messier object, Messier 77 (M77, NGC 1068). The brightest star in the constellation is Deneb Kaitos (Beta Ceti). There are three meteor showers associated with Cetus: the October Cetids, the Eta Cetids, and the Omicron Cetids.
MYTH
Cetus represents the sea monster from the Greek myth of the princess Andromeda, whose boastful mother Cassiopeia angered the sea god Poseidon and the Nereids (sea nymphs) by claiming that she was more beautiful than any of them.
To appease the sea god and the nymphs, Cassiopeia and her husband, King Cepheus, had to sacrifice their young daughter to Cetus, a sea monster sent by Poseidon to punish the king and queen, or watch the monster ravage their land.
Andromeda was chained to a rock and left to the sea monster, but to her good fortune, the hero Perseus was passing by just as Cetus was about to devour her. Perseus rescued the princess and killed Cetus. He and Andromeda were later married.
Cetus was commonly depicted by the Greeks as a hybrid creature. It had forefeet, huge jaws, and a scaly body like a giant sea serpent. Even though the constellation is also known as the Whale, the mythical creature in the depictions does not in fact look like a whale.
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