Notable Features
- α Per (Mirfak): The brightest star of this constellation is also called Algenib (a name which is used for other stars as well, e. g. γ Peg). Mirfak (Arabic for elbow) is a supergiant of spectral type F5 Ib with an apparent brightness of 1.79m lying at a distance of ca. 590 light-years. Its luminosity is 5,000 times and its diameter is 42 times that of our sun.
- Algol (β Per): The most well-known star in Perseus, Algol (from the Arabic Ra's al-Ghul, which means The Demon's Head) represents the eye of the gorgon Medusa. It was also called Rosh ha Satan ("Satan's Head") by the Hebrew people, who saw Algol as representing Lilith. It is 92.8 light-years from Earth and varies in magnitude from a minimum of 3.5 to a maximum of 2.3. This star is the prototype of a whole group of eclipsing variable stars. Its period is merely 2.867 days. It is a triple star with the brightest component having a spectral type B8 V.
- Nova Persei 1901 (GK Per), a bright nova discovered on February 21, 1901.
Read more about this topic: Perseus (constellation)
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