Constellations · Constellation · Comae Berenices · Com
Constellation
Coma Berenices
Queen Berenice’s hair — one of only two constellations named for a real person. She cut off her famous locks to thank the gods for her husband’s safe return from war.
- Genitive
- Comae Berenices
- Area
- 386 square degrees · 42nd of 88
- Brightest star
- · magnitude 4.23
- Naked-eye stars
- 69 brighter than magnitude 6.5
- Highest at midnight
- early April
History
The hair vanished from the temple the next day. The court astronomer Conon of Samos saved everyone’s embarrassment by announcing that it had been placed in the sky.
Look for
The Coma Star Cluster is a loose spray of faint stars best seen by eye or in binoculars — the “hair”. Beyond it lie the galaxies of the Virgo and Coma clusters.
Look for
The North Galactic Pole is here: look this way and you look straight out of the Milky Way’s disc, which is why so many galaxies show.