Andromeda
Princess of Ethiopia or the Chained Lady
| Position (J2000): | 00h32m24s +38°32'24" |
| Latin Name: | Andromeda (an-DRAH-mih-duh) |
| Genitive Name: | Andromedae (an-DRAH-mih-dee) |
| Abbreviation: | And |
| Chart/Atlas: | View IAU Chart |
Andromeda was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, the king and queen of Ethiopia. She was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to Cetus, the sea monster as punishment for her mother's boast that she was more beautiful than all the Nereids (sea nymphs). Andromeda was saved by Perseus when he turned Cetus to stone by using the dismembered head of Medusa. The constellation's creation is credited to the Greeks, but it is likely that they borrowed it and the story from the Babylonians.
The most famous deep sky object in Andromeda is M 31, the Andromeda Galaxy, the most distant object visible to the naked eye. It is an enormous spiral galaxy much like ours. To find the galaxy, draw a line between β and μ Andromedae, and extend the line approximately the same distance again from μ.
Astronomers have recently discovered strong evidence for three planets orbiting Upsilon Andromedae. This is the first multiple planetary system ever found around a normal star, other than in our own Solar System.
Visible in the Northern Hemisphere from August - January, and visible in the Southern Hemisphere in November.
Double Stars (4)
| ID | RA | DE | Mag1 | Mag2 | Sep(") | PA | Obs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 Andromedae | 00h54m58s | +23°37'42" | 5.5 | 6.0 | 0.9 | 314.0 | 1 |
| 56 Andromedae | 01h56m09s | +37°15'07" | 5.7 | 11.9 | 18.3 | 79.0 | 3 |
| Almaak | 02h03m54s | +42°19'47" | 2.3 | 5.0 | 9.6 | 63.0 | 2 |
| STF 3050 | 23h59m29s | +33°43'27" | 6.5 | 6.7 | 2.2 | 334.0 | 1 |
Variable Stars (4)
| ID | RA | DE | Max | Min | Period | Var Type | Obs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SU Andromedae | 00h04m36s | +43°33'05" | 8.0 | 8.5 | 0.0 | LC | - |
| VX Andromedae | 00h19m54s | +44°42'34" | 7.8 | 9.3 | 369.0 | SRA | - |
| R Andromedae | 00h24m02s | +38°34'37" | 5.8 | 14.9 | 409.3 | M | - |
| ST Andromedae | 23h38m45s | +35°46'21" | 7.7 | 11.8 | 328.3 | SRA | - |
Deep Sky (44)
| ID | RA | DE | Type | Mag | Size | Class | Obs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 80 | 00h21m11s | +22°21'26" | Glx | 12.5 | 1'.8 x 1'.7 | SA0-: | - |
| NGC 83 | 00h21m23s | +22°26'01" | Glx | 13.0 | 1'.5 x 1'.5 | E | - |
| NGC 90 | 00h21m51s | +22°24'00" | Glx | 13.8 | 2'.2 x 0'.9 | SAB(s) | - |
| NGC 93 | 00h22m03s | +22°24'29" | Glx | 13.6 | 1'.4 x 0'.6 | S? | - |
| NGC 160 | 00h36m04s | +23°57'29" | Glx | 12.4 | 3'.0 x 1'.7 | (R)SA0 Pec | 1 |
| NGC 169 | 00h36m52s | +23°59'23" | Glx | 12.4 | 2'.6 x 0'.7 | SA(s)ab:sp | 1 |
| NGC 181 | 00h38m24s | +29°28'15" | Glx | 14.9 | 0'.5 x 0'.2 | S? | - |
| NGC 183 | 00h38m30s | +29°30'35" | Glx | 12.5 | 2'.1 x 1'.6 | E | - |
| M 110 | 00h40m24s | +41°41'00" | Glx | 8.1 | 21'.9 x 10'.9 | E5 pec | 9 |
| NGC 206 | 00h40m31s | +40°44'22" | CLD | --- | 4'.2 x 1'.5 | --- | 1 |
| NGC 214 | 00h41m28s | +25°30'00" | Glx | 12.4 | 1'.9 x 1'.4 | SAB(r)c I | 2 |
| M 32 | 00h42m42s | +40°51'57" | Glx | 8.3 | 8'.7 x 6'.5 | cE2 | 10 |
| M 31 | 00h42m44s | +41°16'06" | Glx | 3.4 | 180' x 63' | SA(s)b II | 12 |
| NGC 233 | 00h43m37s | +30°35'15" | Glx | 12.5 | 1'.7 x 1'.5 | E? | - |
| NGC 252 | 00h48m02s | +27°37'26" | Glx | 12.5 | 1'.5 x 1'.1 | (R)SA(r)0+ | 1 |
| NGC 260 | 00h48m35s | +27°41'33" | Glx | 13.7 | 0'.9 x 0'.9 | ScdP: | 1 |
| NGC 272 | 00h51m25s | +35°49'18" | OC | --- | 5' | IV 1 p | 1 |
| NGC 404 | 01h09m30s | +35°43'04" | Glx | 10.0 | 3'.4 x 3'.4 | SA(s)0- | 2 |
| NGC 513 | 01h24m27s | +33°47'58" | Glx | 13.4 | 0'.8 x 0'.4 | S | 2 |
| NGC 523 | 01h25m21s | +34°01'31" | Glx | 13.0 | 2'.5 x 0'.8 | P | 1 |
| NGC 679 | 01h49m44s | +35°47'04" | Glx | 11.9 | 2'.1 x 2'.1 | S0-: | - |
| NGC 687 | 01h50m33s | +36°22'15" | Glx | 12.3 | 1'.4 x 1'.4 | S0 | - |
| NGC 704 | 01h52m38s | +36°07'33" | Glx | 13.0 | 0'.6 x 0'.6 | S | - |
| NGC 703 | 01h52m40s | +36°10'18" | Glx | 13.3 | 1'.2 x 0'.9 | S0-: | - |
| NGC 705 | 01h52m41s | +36°08'39" | Glx | 13.8 | 1'.2 x 0'.3 | S0-a | - |
| NGC 708 | 01h52m46s | +36°09'08" | Glx | 12.8 | 3'.0 x 2'.5 | E2 | - |
| NGC 710 | 01h52m54s | +36°03'12" | Glx | 13.6 | 1'.3 x 1'.2 | Scd: | - |
| NGC 753 | 01h57m42s | +35°54'58" | Glx | 12.4 | 2'.9 x 2'.1 | Sc II | 3 |
| NGC 752 | 01h57m48s | +37°51'00" | OC | 5.7 | 50' | II 2 r | 3 |
| NGC 759 | 01h57m50s | +36°20'33" | Glx | 12.5 | 1'.6 x 1'.4 | E | - |
| NGC 797 | 02h03m28s | +38°07'01" | Glx | 12.7 | 1'.6 x 1'.3 | Sa/SBa | - |
| NGC 818 | 02h08m44s | +38°46'36" | Glx | 12.1 | 3'.0 x 1'.3 | SB:b-c | - |
| NGC 828 | 02h10m09s | +39°11'29" | Glx | 12.0 | 2'.9 x 2'.2 | Sa | - |
| NGC 834 | 02h11m01s | +37°39'59" | Glx | 13.0 | 1'.1 x 0'.5 | S | - |
| NGC 845 | 02h12m19s | +37°28'36" | Glx | 13.8 | 1'.7 x 0'.4 | Sb | - |
| NGC 891 | 02h22m34s | +42°21'03" | Glx | 10.0 | 13'.5 x 2'.5 | Sb | 2 |
| NGC 906 | 02h25m16s | +42°05'24" | Glx | 13.3 | 1'.8 x 1'.6 | SBa | - |
| NGC 910 | 02h25m27s | +41°49'27" | Glx | 12.2 | 2'.0 x 2'.0 | E | - |
| NGC 911 | 02h25m42s | +41°57'23" | Glx | 12.8 | 1'.7 x 0'.9 | E | - |
| NGC 914 | 02h26m05s | +42°08'39" | Glx | 13.2 | 1'.8 x 1'.3 | Sc | - |
| NGC 956 | 02h32m31s | +44°35'37" | OC | 8.9 | 7' | IV 2 m | 2 |
| NGC 7640 | 23h22m06s | +40°51'00" | Glx | 10.8 | 11'.0 x 2'.5 | S(B)b+ II | 2 |
| NGC 7662 | 23h25m54s | +42°32'06" | PN | 8.3 | 32" x 28" | 4(3) | 2 |
| NGC 7686 | 23h30m12s | +49°08'00" | OC | 5.6 | 14' | III 2 p | 2 |
