• Let's turn tonight toward the northern sky - and its famous constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. This constellation

appears high in the northeast at nightfall as seen from latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Cassiopeia can also be

seen from tropical and subtropical latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, appearing low in the north at nightfall and early evening.
• In early December, Cassiopeia swings directly over Polaris, the North Star, at around 8 p.m. local clock time. (You can't see Polaris from temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere because it's below the horizon in that part of the world.) Cassiopeia - sometimes called The Lady of the Chair - is famous for having the shape of a telltale W or M. You will find this configuration of stars as a starlit M whenever she reigns highest in the sky, hovering over Polaris.
• From a dark country sky, you'll see that Cassiopeia sits atop the luminous band of stars known as the Milky Way. Arching from horizon to horizon, this soft-glowing boulevard of stars repre

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