According to Greek mythology, Andromeda was the daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia of Joppa in Palestine, now known as Ethiopia. She was very beautiful . Once her mother Cassiopeia claimed her to be more beautiful even than the Nereids or the sea nymphs. Hearing this, Poseidon, the God of waves cursed or punished Ethiopia with flood, plague and a sea monster named Cetus. Seeing the wrath of Poseidon, the King went to an oracle for a way to cease the destruction and the oracle informed Andromeda’s father, King Cepheus, that the ills would cease only if he exposed Andromeda to the monster, I.e he should sacrifice his beloved daughter. Since only Andromeda’s sacrifice would appease the gods, she was chained to a rock and left to be devoured by the monster.
Perseus, son of Zeus and Danaë, was flying back on his Pegasus after slaying Medusa and saw Andromeda, instantly falling in love with her. He asked Cepheus for Andromeda’s hand and in return he would kill the sea monster ( Cetus ). Cepheus instantly agreed and Perseus turned the monster into stone with Medusa’s head and Andromeda was happily married to Perseus and had six sons and a daughter.
NEW THEORIES
Apart from the mythology, the star constellation of Andromeda is said to have a large spiral galaxy in it named “Andromeda galaxy” or “Andromeda nebula” which is supposed to be the large galaxy near to earth at a distance of 2,480,000 light years from earth with a diameter of 2,00,000 light years; sharing multiple characteristics with the Milky Way Galaxy. It was first mentioned in 965 CE. by an Islamic astronomer named al-Sūfī in his book named “Book Of Fixed Stars”. Later after the invention of telescope, it was rediscovered by a German astronomer named Simon Marius,who considered it as a part or component of the Milky Way Galaxy only just like other nebulas in local galactic system and hence was called “Andromeda Nebula”. Later in 1920 an American astronomer named Edwin Powell Hubble stated that Andromeda Galaxy was a separate galaxy from the Milky Way Galaxy.
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Wow. Interesting
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