Sky Watch: Cassiopeia shines as an Ethiopian queen

I frequently encounter stargazers who are frustrated that they cannot easily see the constellations; so many have been led to believe that ancient sky watchers somehow saw lavish pictures in the sky and wonder: "Why can't I?"

My answer is simple: "Because there are none. Only stars." And it's true. The ancients saw the same stars as we; they simply used them to represent animals, objects and people in their storytelling.

But stare at the stars long enough and you will begin to find recognizable patterns. Some of my favorites are geometrical figures and letters of the alphabet. While these aren't plentiful, there is one that is easily visible on late September evenings in the north-northeastern part of the sky. Its name is Cassiopeia.

Cassiopeia is the star grouping known to the ancient Greeks as an Ethiopian queen. Maybe I just don't have much imagination; to me, it appears simply as a "W."

But not always. Cassiopeia is one of those constellations that, as it revolves about the North Star appears as four different figures. Right now it appears as a tilted "W." When it's on its side it can look like an "E" or even a "3." And when it's high above the North Star, it appears as an "M."

Just above and to its east lies another "W." It appears almost like a miniature version of Cassiopeia, but it's actually the northern side of the constellation Lacerta, the lizard. You'll need a dark moonless sky to see it, since it contains no bright stars.