The constellation of Cepheus, the King // Markus Selbach
Click below to see an annotated image and some info about the stars that make up Cepheus.
In order of brightness:
Alderamin (α Cephei) is a blue-white giant star about 49 light years from Earth. It was once the northern pole star in about 19,000 BC and will return to being the pole star between 7,500 and 8,700 AD. Its name comes from Arabic phrase al-dhirā‘ al-yamīn meaning "the right arm."
Errai (γ Cephei) is a binary star consisting of a red giant and red dwarf about 45 light years from Earth. Errai will succeed Polaris as the pole star around 3157 AD. The name comes from the Arabic word ar-rā‘ī meaning "the shepherd."
Alfirk (β Cephei) is a triple star system with the primary star being a blue giant star. The entire system is about 690 light years away. Just like the last two stars, Alfirk will one day be a pole star, between 5200 and 7500 AD. The name comes from the Arabic word al-firqah meaning "the flock."
ζ Cephei is a red supergiant star about 993 light years from Earth.
ι Cephei is an orange giant star about 115 light years from Earth.
The Garnet Star (μ Cephei) is a red hypergiant star about 2,500 light years from Earth. It has a size almost 1,000 times that of our Sun! Its name comes from William Herschel's observations of it, where he described it as "a very fine deep garnet colour."
Kurhah (ξ Cephei) is a triple star system about 102 light years from Earth. It consists of three blue-white giant stars. The name comes from the Arabic word al-qurhah meaning "a white spot in the face of a horse."
