Cassiopeia the Queen, a constellation of vivid stars within the northern hemisphere, is a well-loved fixture of fall and winter night skies.
Also referred to as Alpha (α) Cassiopeiae, Schedar is its brightest star. And with the assistance of a star map, this orange-colored star is simple to search out and is usually utilized by stargazers to find the Andromeda Galaxy.
The best way to discover Schedar
By the way in which, from mid-northern latitudes, Cassiopeia is circumpolar. Consequently, it circles endlessly across the north celestial pole, by no means (or not often, relying in your latitude) dipping beneath your horizon. Nonetheless, the perfect time to see Cassiopeia is throughout fall and winter evenings, since that’s when the constellation rides highest within the sky.
Principally, the intense stars of Cassiopeia hint out an M or W, relying on its place within the sky and your perspective. And Schedar, the brightest star in Cassiopeia, is situated on the W’s bottom-right tip (or the M’s upper-left tip).
Science of Schedar
The star Schedar is 228 light-years away and shines steadily at magnitude 2.2. Although skywatchers a few centuries in the past prompt that the star various in brightness, fashionable astronomers have discerned no fluctuations.
Moreover, Schedar is about 4 occasions the mass of our sun. However, Schedar is cooler than our sun. That’s as a result of it’s a red giant star. Plus, like all big stars, it rotates slowly on its axis. Thus, Schedar takes roughly 102 days to rotate as soon as, in distinction to about 25 days for our sun. Now that it’s within the late phases of stellar evolution, Schedar is about 45 occasions the sun’s diameter as a result of growth of its outer layers.
The sky lore of Alpha Cassiopeiae
Although it’s brightest star within the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen, Schedar doesn’t have any unbelievable tales behind it. However, like all stars, it has its personal attention-grabbing historical past. The truth is, the star’s identify, Schedar, derives from the Arabic phrase for breast.
By the way in which, Schedar’s place is: R.A. 00h 40m 30s, Dec. +56° 32′ 14″
Backside line: Schedar, the brightest star within the outstanding northern constellation Cassiopeia, is well seen many of the 12 months from northern latitudes.
