ANDROMEDA

, in Astronomy, a constellation of the northern hemisphere, representing the sigure of a woman almost naked, her seet at a distance from each other, and her arms extended and chained; being one of the original 48 asterisms, or sigures under which the ancients comprehended the stars, as derived to us from the Greeks, who probably had them from the Egyptians or Indians, and who, it is suspected, altered their names, and accompanied them with fabulous stories of their own. According to them, Cepheus, the father of Andromeda, was obliged to give her up to be devoured by a monster, to preserve his kingdom from the plague; but that she was delivered by Perseus, who slew the monster, and espoused her. And the family were all translated by Minerva to heaven, the mother being the constellation Cassiopeia.

She is sometimes called, in Latin, Persea, Mulier catenata, Virgo devota, &c. The Arabians, whose religion did not permit them to draw the figure of the human body on any occasion whatever, have changed this constellation into the figure of a sea-calf. Schickard has changed the name for that of the scripture name Abigail. And Schiller has also changed the figure of the constellation, for that of a sepulchre, and calls it the Holy Sepulchre.

This constellation contains about 27 stars that are visible to the naked eye; of which the principal are, a Andromeda's head; b in the girdle, and called mirach or mizar; g on the south foot, and named alamak, and sometimes alhames.

The number of stars placed in this constellation by the catalogue of Ptolemy is 23, by that of Tycho Brahe also 23, by that of Hevelius 47, and by that of Flamsteed 66.