Constellation Cetus (Sea Monster)
Properties
Cetus lies on the western bank of the Eridanus River, close to its source in the north. The constellation is quite large with 1231 square degrees, but contains only a few bright stars, which only form a figure after a second look. The constellation centre culminates around midnight on October 15th. [9, 15]
| α Cet | Menkar, Mekab, Menkab, Monkar |
| β Cet | Diphda, Deneb Kaitos, Difda, Difda Al Thani, Rana Secunda, The "Second Frog" |
| γ Cet | Kaffaljidhma, Al Kaff Al Jidhmah |
| ζ Cet | Baten Kaitos |
| η Cet | Dheneb, Deneb, Deneb Algenubi |
| ι Cet | Deneb Kaitos Shemali, Deneb Kaitos Al Shamaliyy |
| λ Cet | Menkar |
| ο Cet | Mira |
| IAU Name | Cetus |
| IAU Genitive | Ceti |
| IAU Abbr. | Cet |
| English Name | Sea Monster |
| Culmination at local midnight | 19 October |
| Season (Latitude +46.8°) | July … March |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 23h 56m 25s … 03h 23m 47s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | -24° 52' 22" … +10° 30' 52" |
| Area | 1231 deg2 |
| Neighbours (N↻) | Ari, Psc, Aqr, Scl, For, Eri, Tau |
Deep-Sky Object Descriptions
Catalogues
Mythology and History
In Greek mythology, a huge sea monster (the whale was not seen as a meek giant in many places in the past) devastated the coasts of Ethiopia with a storm surge. To appease it, the pretty daughter Andromeda was thrown to him as a sacrifice by King Cepheus and Cassiopeia, but Perseus defeated the monster and saved her.
In addition to Cetus and Cete (sea monster, sea eel) there is also the name Pristis (sea animal, large fish) or, alternatively, Pristix and Pistrix and Canis Tritonis (dog of the sea god Triton), Balaena (whale), but also Draco (dragon) and Ursus marinus (the bear emerging from the sea). In Johann Bode's Uranographia from 1801, the constellation is called Monstrum marinum.