Andromeda – The Captive Princess

Andromeda is one of the 88 constellations within the celestial sphere.

Andromeda is one of the 17 constellations that represents a mythological character.

Symbolism: Andromeda is also known as ‘The Captive Princess’ 

 

History & Mythology

Andromeda has been known by many different cultures and represents many different things for these cultures throughout history. In Greek mythology, Andromeda represents a mythical princess who was said to be the daughter of king Cepheus and queen Cassiopeia.

The myth goes that Andromeda was to be sacrificed to the Sea Monster for the sins of her mother, only be rescued by the hero Perseus.

The Andromeda  constellation also contains the Andromeda galaxy, which is a larger spiral galaxy that is next to the Milky Way galaxy.

 

Key Data

Bordering Constellations: Andromeda is bordered by constellations Perseus, Cassiopeia, Lacerta, Pegasus, Pisces & Traingulum.

Sky Chart #:  3.

Star Raking: 19th largest constellation in the celestial sphere. 

Main Stars: Andromeda (constellation) consists of 16 main stars.

Brightest Star: Alpheratz & Mirach.

 

Kids Fun Facts Corner

# 1. The nearest star in the Andromeda constellation is 44 light years away.

# 2. Stars Alpheratz & Mirach are the brightest stars in the constellation. (joint brightest)

# 3. Eventually the Andromeda galaxy and the Milky Way galaxy will collide and merge to create one larger galaxy.  

 

Q&A Corner

Q. What is Andromeda known as?

Q. How many main stars does Andromeda have?

Q. What are the brightest stars in Andromeda?

Q. What is the star ranking of Andromeda in the celestial sphere?

Q. How many light years away is the nearest star to Andromeda?

Download questions about the Andromeda Constellation here: Andromeda Constellation (answers are on this page)

Teachers. For more in depth work sheets on constellations. Click on Kidskonnect Worksheets  

For further reading and more information on the Andromeda Constellation visit www.kids.kiddle.com/Andromeda