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Stars and Sticks| Abbreviation | Com |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Berenice's Hair |
| Pronunciation Guide is based on “Pronouncing Astronomical Names,” published in 1943 by the American Astronomical Society. | KO-muh BEAR-en-EYE-seez |
| Genitive The genitive is the Latin possessive form used in star names. For example, Alpha Orionis means “the Alpha of Orion.” | KOH-mee behr-ih-NYE-seez |
| Best Month | May |
| Visibility | Northern |
| Origin | ModernAdded between the 17th and 18th centuries by astronomers like Hevelius or Plancius to define faint star clusters ignored by the ancients. |
| Author | Vopel |
| Type | constellation |
| Difficulty | Challenging |
| Description | This constellation commemorates one of the few historical people immortalized in the stars. Queen Berenice II of Egypt vowed to sacrifice her beautiful golden hair to Aphrodite in exchange for her husband Ptolemy III's safe return from war against Syria. When he returned victorious, she cut off her hair and placed it in the temple — but the offering vanished. The court astronomer Conon of Samos announced that the grateful gods had placed it among the stars. The constellation hosts the Coma Cluster — one of the nearest and richest galaxy clusters, containing over 1,000 galaxies about 320 million light-years away. It also contains the North Galactic Pole. |
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Images: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik · IAU and Sky & Telescope · Stellarium — Full credits →
