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Cassiopeia, the wife of King Cepheus, was beautiful, arrogant and vain. She bragged that both she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the sea nymphs, daughters of Nereus, the sea goddess. This angered Poseidon, the sea God, who sent the monster, Cetus to wreak havoc on their home land of Ethiopia.

Cepheus and Cassiopeia consulted a wise oracle, who told them that the only way to appease the sea gods was to sacrifice their daughter. Andromeda was chained to a rock at the sea's edge, and left there to await her fate at the mercy of the sea monster. But Perseus (or Hercules in some versions) arrived in time and rescued Andromeda. Poseidon considered that Cassiopeia should not escape punishment entirely, and placed her in the heavens in such a position that she circles the celestial pole in an upside-down position for half the time.

This is an example of what can be imaged using a still camera. This image was taken off a tripod - no tracking was performed.

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