This month look for the star Caph in the constellation Cassiopeia. Caph is called Beta Cassiopeiae by astronomers. And as you would guess from its name, Caph is the second brightest star in the constellation.

Cassiopeia may have originated as the Greek goddess, Hecate, but was later transformed into the queen of Ethiopia. According to the Greek legend, Cassiopeia boasted she was more beautiful than the Nereids. The unhappy Nereids complained about this slight to their father, the god of the sea. As punishment, Poseidon sent the sea monster Cetus to destroy Cassiopeia’s coastlands. King Cepheus and queen Cassiopeia learned they could halt the destruction of their lands only if they offered their daughter, Andromeda to the sea monster. So unfortunate Andromeda was chained to the rocks to await the next arrival of Cetus. Fortunately, before the sea monster arrived, Perseus, who was traveling back home on his flying sandals, saw and rescued Andromeda.  

The star Caph is 54 light years away. Therefore, if you were born in 1960, Caph is your birthday star this year. The surface of Caph is 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than our sun. It’s also four times larger and 28 times brighter. Caph is old enough that the energy from hydrogen fusion can’t preventing its core from contracting. The core is shrinking as a result and growing hotter. Eventually the contraction will warm the core up to the point that helium fusion will begin. Once its helium begins to "burn", Caph will expand in size and change into a cooler giant star.