Astroboys...: Perseus

Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the Greek hero Perseus. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. It contains the famous variable star Algol (β Per), and is also the location of the radiant of the annual Perseids meteor shower

The God

Perseus was a Greek hero most famous for his slaying of Medusa. If anyone looked at Medusa's face they would turn to stone. With the help of Hermes' wings and Athena's shield, Perseus killed Medusa without looking at her. On his way home, Perseus came across the monster, Cetus, getting ready to eat Andromeda. Perseus used Medusa's head to turn Cetus into stone and saved the princess.

Origin at Argos

Perseus was the son of Zeus and Danaë, who by her very name, was the archetype of all the Danaans.She was the only child of Acrisius, King of Argos. Disappointed by his lack of luck in having a son, Acrisius consulted the oracle at Delphi, who warned him that he would one day be killed by his daughter's son. Danaë was childless and to keep her so, he imprisoned her in a bronze chamber open to the sky in the courtyard of his palace:This mytheme is also connected to Ares, Oenopion, Eurystheus, etc. Zeus came to her in the form of a shower of gold, and impregnated her.Soon after was born their child Perseus— "Perseus Eurymedon for his mother gave him this name as well" (Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica IV).

Notable features

1. α Per (Mirfak) : The brightest star of this constellation. Its luminosity is 5,000 times, and its diameter is 62 times that of our Sun.

2. β Per (Algol) : This may not be the brightest star of this constellation, but it definitely is its most famous star. Algol (from Arabic al-Ghul, which means The Ghoul or The Demon Star) represents the eye of the gorgon Medusa. This star is the variable stars. Its apparent brightness ranges between 2.12magnitude and 3.39magnitude with a period of merely 2.867 days.

Picture of Perseus