Coma Berenices constellation
Latin Coma Berenices, genitive Comae Berenices, abbreviation Com
North up, east to the left, as you see the sky. The lines are a common figure; the stars are from the catalogue.
The myth
The only constellation named after a historical person. Queen Berenice II of Egypt offered her hair so that her husband would return safely from war. When the lock vanished from the temple, the court astronomer Conon declared that the gods had set it in the sky. A delicate veil of faint stars.
When can Coma Berenices be seen?
It stands highest around 10 pm in May. It can be seen from everywhere north of 55°S, and it never sets north of 72°N.
The brightest stars
| Star | Designation | Magnitude | Colour |
|---|---|---|---|
| – | β Com | 4.26 | yellowish white |
| Al Dafirah | γ Com | 4.36 | orange |
| – | 11 Com | 4.74 | orange |
| – | 36 Com | 4.78 | reddish |
| – | 41 Com | 4.80 | reddish |
| – | 12 Com | 4.81 | yellowish white |
| – | 23 Com | 4.81 | white |
| – | 35 Com | 4.90 | yellow |
The smaller the number, the brighter: below 1 are the brightest stars of the sky, 4 is hard to see under a city sky. Greek letters after Johann Bayer (1603).