Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky named after the Greek mythological hero Perseus. It was one of 48 listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy and is among the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. It is located in the northern celestial hemisphere near several other constellations named after legends surrounding Perseus, including Andromeda and Cassiopeia. The galactic plane of the Milky Way passes through Perseus but is mostly obscured by molecular clouds. The constellation's brightest star is the yellow-white supergiant Alpha Persei, which shines at magnitude 1.79. It and many surrounding stars are members of the Alpha Persei Cluster. The best-known star is Algol, an eclipsing binary linked with ominous legends because of its variability, which is noticeable to the naked eye. Other notable features in Perseus include X Persei (a binary system containing a neutron star), GK Persei (a nova that peaked at magnitude 0.2 in 1901), the Double Cluster (comprised of two open clusters near each other in the sky), and the Perseus Cluster (a massive galaxy cluster). Perseus also hosts the radiant of the annual Perseids meteor shower.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_(constellation)
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
660 BC:
According to tradition, Emperor Jimmu founded Japan and established his capital in Yamato. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Jimmu
1826:
University College London (Main Building pictured) was founded as the first secular university in England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_College_London
1929:
To help settle the "Roman Question", Italy and the Holy See of the Roman Catholic Church signed the Lateran Treaty to establish Vatican City as an independent sovereign enclave within Italy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateran_Treaty
1968:
After two black employees were killed on the job, about 1,300 black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, US, began a strike that lasted over two months. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Sanitation_Strike
1990:
Anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, was released from Victor Verster Prison near Paarl, South Africa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
gourmandise: To eat food in a gluttonous manner; to gorge; to make a pig of oneself. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gourmandise
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Even in times of war, you can see current events in their historical perspective, provided that your passion for the truth prevails over your bias in favor of your own nation. --Leó Szilárd https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Le%C3%B3_Szil%C3%A1rd