Cabeleira de Berenice
Berenice's Hair (Comae Berenices)
Coma Berenices, Berenice's Hair, is a faint but historically important constellation between Leo and Boötes. It contains the north galactic pole and is famous for the Coma Star Cluster visible to the naked eye and the vast Coma Cluster of galaxies. This is one of the few constellations named after a historical person rather than a mythological figure.
📜 Mitologia
Coma Berenices commemorates Queen Berenice II of Egypt (267-221 BCE), wife of Ptolemy III. When Ptolemy went to war against Syria, Berenice vowed to cut off her famous long hair and offer it to Aphrodite if he returned safely. Upon his safe return, she fulfilled her vow and placed her hair in the temple. When it disappeared, the court astronomer Conon of Samos claimed the gods had accepted the offering and placed it among the stars.
💡 Fatos curiosos
- ✦The Coma Star Cluster (Melotte 111) is one of the nearest open clusters at about 280 light-years
- ✦The Coma Cluster of galaxies contains over 1,000 galaxies and lies about 320 million light-years away
- ✦The north galactic pole lies within this constellation, making it an ideal window for observing distant galaxies