Which constellation is named after the queen of Ethiopia?

Cassiopeia is the constellation named after the queen of Ethiopia, or Aethiopia, in Greek mythology.

Cassiopeia was the wife of King Cepheus and mother of Princess Andromeda. She was famed for her beauty and, in different versions of the myth, boasted that she or her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids, sea nymphs associated with Poseidon.

Poseidon punished the kingdom by sending a sea monster, Cetus, and demanding Andromeda’s sacrifice. The hero Perseus rescued Andromeda, while Cassiopeia was placed among the stars. Her celestial neighbors include Cepheus, Andromeda, Perseus, and Cetus.

A common mix-up is choosing Cepheus or Andromeda because both are also figures from the same myth. Cassiopeia is especially recognizable in the Northern Hemisphere by its five-star W or M-shaped asterism. It was among the 48 constellations listed by the second-century astronomer Ptolemy and remains one of the 88 modern constellations.