Cepheus

Cep star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg)

One of the 88 IAU constellations.

Etymology and History

The Greek constellation ...

Origin of Constellation

Babylonian

Kugel Globe (1st c.BCE): Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Cepheus, drawing by SMH 2024.

Greco-Roman

Aratos

Nor will the suffering family of Cepheus, son of Iasius, [180] be just left unmentioned: their name also has reached the sky, for they were akin to Zeus. Behind the Bear Cynosura [Ursa Minor] Cepheus himself is like a man stretching out both his arms. The line that extends from the tip of her tail to each of his feet equals the distance from foot to foot. [186] And you have only to look a little way past his belt if you are searching for the first coil o f the great Dragon.

(Kidd 1997)

Hyginus, Astronomica

Euripides and the rest have shown that he was the son of Phoenix, king of the Ethiopians, and father of Andromeda, the girl exposed to the sea-monster, according to the well-known tale. Perseus freed her from danger and made her his wife. And so, that the whole family be commemorated, the gods numbered Cepheus, too, among the constellations. (Mary Ward 1960)

Almagest Κηφεύς

id	Greek (Heiberg 1898)	English (Toomer 1984)	ident.
	Κηφέως ἀστερισμός.	Constellation of Cepheus
1	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ ποδός	The star on the right leg	kap Cep
2	ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ ποδός	The one on the left leg	gam Cep
3	ὁ ὑπὸ τὴν ῥώνηη ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ πλευροῦ	The star under the belt on the right side	bet Cep
4	ὁ ὑπὲρ τὸν δεξιὸν ὤμου ἀπτόμευος.	The star·over the tight shoulder, which touches it	alf Cep
5	ὁ ὑπὲρ τὸν δεξιὸυ ἀγκῶνα ἀπτόμερος	The star over the right elbow, which touches it	eta Cep
6	ὁ ὑπὸ τὸν αὐτὸν ἀγκῶνα καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπτόμενος.	The one under that elbow, which also touches it	tet Cep
	ὁ ἐν τῷ στήθει	The star in the chest	xi Cep
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ βραχύουος	The star on the left arm	iot Cep
	τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς τιάρας 7’ ὁ νότιος.	The southernmost of the 3 stars on the tiara	eps Cep
	ὁ μέσος τῶν τριῶν.	The middle one of the three	zet Cep
	ὁ βορειότερος τῶν τριῶν.	The northernmost of the three	lam Cep
	ἀστέρες ιἄ, ὥν γ’ μεγέθους ἄ, δ’ ξ,εη.	11 stars, l of the third magnitude, 7 of the fourth, 3 of the fifth
	Τῶν περὶ Κηφέα ἀμορφώτων.	Stars around Cepheus outside the constellation
	ὁ προηγούμενος τῆς τιάρας.	The one in advance of the tiara	mu Cep
	ὁ ἐπόμενος τῇ τιάρα	The one to the rear or the tiara	del Cep
	ἀμόρφωτοι β, ὧν δ’ μεγέθους ἄ, ε α	2 stars outside the constellation, 1 of the fourth magnitude, 1 of the fifth

References

• References (general)
• References (Babylonian)
• References (ancient Greco-Roman)
• References (medieval)