About this episode
This episode explores the constellation Coma Berenices and its historical significance.
The long-lost tail of the lion climbs high across the sky at this time of year – a spray of faint stars that trails behind Leo. Today, it’s known as Coma Berenices – the hair of Queen Berenice II of Egypt. It’s the only modern constellation that represents a real person. Originally, though, it was the tuft of hair at the end of the lion’s tail. The stars came to represent Berenice about 2300 years ago. The story was invented by the court astronomer to the king of Egypt, Ptolemy III. The queen had left her beatiful locks in a temple – an offering to the gods to protect her husband, who was off at war. The hair disappeared, angering the king. So the astronomer told him that the gods had whisked the offering into the sky. But to most of the western world, the stars remained part of Leo for centuries longer. They didn’t become a separate constellation until the 1500s, when they were named for Berenice. Coma Berenices isn’t easy to find. All of its stars are faint, so you need especially dark skies to see them. Its brightest star is Beta Coma. It’s a near twin to the Sun – a little bit bigger, heavier, and brighter. Yet even…
People in this episode
Host: Damond Benningfield
Topics covered
- Coma Berenices
- constellations
- astronomy
- Queen Berenice II
- stars
Keywords
- Leo
- Ptolemy III
- Beta Coma
- dark skies
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Egypt, Leo, Coma Berenices, Arcturus, Bootes
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