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StarDateYour guide to the universe Author: Billy Henry
StarDate, the longest-running national radio science feature in the U.S., tells listeners what to look for in the night sky. Language: en-us Genres: Astronomy, Education, Science Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Coma Berenices
Sunday, 12 April, 2026
The long-lost tail of the lion climbs high across the sky at this time of year – a spray of faint stars that trails behind Leo. Today, it’s known as Coma Berenices – the hair of Queen Berenice II of Egypt. It’s the only modern constellation that represents a real person. Originally, though, it was the tuft of hair at the end of the lion’s tail. The stars came to represent Berenice about 2300 years ago. The story was invented by the court astronomer to the king of Egypt, Ptolemy III. The queen had left her beatiful locks in a temple – an offering to the gods to protect her husband, who was off at war. The hair disappeared, angering the king. So the astronomer told him that the gods had whisked the offering into the sky. But to most of the western world, the stars remained part of Leo for centuries longer. They didn’t become a separate constellation until the 1500s, when they were named for Berenice. Coma Berenices isn’t easy to find. All of its stars are faint, so you need especially dark skies to see them. Its brightest star is Beta Coma. It’s a near twin to the Sun – a little bit bigger, heavier, and brighter. Yet even it isn’t visible from light-polluted cities or suburbs. The constellation is well up in the east at nightfall. It’s above brilliant Arcturus, the brightest star of Bootes, and to the lower left of Leo – the long-lost tip of the lion’s tail. Script by Damond Benningfield
