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This constellation is shaped as a simple house with a peaked roof. The apex of the roof is close to Polaris. Cepehus is one of the only constellations on this list that has no bright stars to help us locate it. Try searching in the area between Cyrgnus (an autumn constellation) and the Polaris star.
Some peoples make a connection between Cepheus and royalty. The Chinese designated these stars as the "Inner Throne of the Five Kings." The Greeks named the constellation after Cepheus, the King of Ethiopia and husband of Cassiopeia, whom we have already met. The most notable achievement of Cepheus was handing his daughter Andromeda over to a serpent. An oracle talked him into doing it. Those with a religious bent have named the constellation after King Solomon or Saint Stephen.
The most notable of Cepheus is mu Cephei, better know as the Garnet Star. This is a dim variable star of only about 4.5 magnitude, which is known for its "claret" color. I took a look at it through my binoculars last night and it didn’t seem to be any redder than any other red star, but maybe it was a poor night. Try it yourself.
Although the constellation Cepheus is also located in the Milky Way, there is a corridor from delta Cephei to iota Cephei with relatively few stars. This area is also part of the Milky Way, but it contains clouds of dust that block out many of the background stars. The Milky Way is not merely a simple band across the sky. Its borders are serpentine, interrupted by an occasional passageway.