Perseus, in Greek mythology
Perseus (pûr`sēəs, –s
s), in Greek mythology, son of Zeus and Danaë. His grandfather, Acrisius, had been warned by an oracle that his grandson would kill him and therefore put Perseus and his mother in a chest and threw it into the sea. It drifted to Seriphus, where King Polydectes befriended the two. After a time Polydectes fell in love with Danaë but was embarrassed by the presence of her full-grown son. He sent Perseus to fetch the head of the Gorgon Medusa, thinking that Perseus would die in the attempt. The gods, however, loved Perseus. Hermes gave him a curved sword and winged sandals, Athena a mirrorlike shield, and Hades a helmet that made Perseus invisible. Thus armed, Perseus slew Medusa. While fleeing the other Gorgons, Medusa's sisters, Perseus asked Atlas for help. Atlas refused, and Perseus, by means of the Medusa head, promptly turned him into a mountain of stone. On his way home Perseus rescued Andromeda from a sea monster and married her. When he arrived in Seriphus, he killed Polydectes and his followers. He then gave the Medusa head to Athena. He went with his mother and his wife to Argos. There, while competing in a discus contest, Perseus accidentally killed his grandfather. Thus the prophecy was fulfilled. Perseus was the father of Electryon, who was the grandfather of Hercules. The famous figure of Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini stands in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence.Perseus, king of Macedon
Perseus, c.212–166 B.C., last king of Macedon (179–168 B.C.), son and successor of Philip V. He intrigued against his younger brother, Demetrius, eventually bringing about the latter's execution by Philip V. As king, his involvement in Greek politics excited the fears of Eumenes II of Pergamum Pergamum (pûr`gəməm), ancient city of NW Asia Minor, in Mysia (modern Turkey), in the fertile valley of the Caicus...... Click the link for more information. , who, thinking that Pergamum's position was being endangered, went to Rome to provoke war against Perseus by pointing to alignments of Macedon with anti-Roman factions in Greece. The resultant Third Macedonian War (171–168) began with a Macedonian cavalry victory and then dragged on indecisively. Finally Aemilius Paullus Paullus, Aemilius (Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus) (ēmĭl`ēəs), c.229–160 B.C., Roman general.
..... Click the link for more information. took command of the Roman forces and soundly defeated (168) Perseus at Pydna on the Gulf of Thessaloníki. Perseus died in captivity.
Perseus, in astronomy
Perseus, in astronomy, northern constellation constellation, in common usage, group of stars that appear to form a configuration in the sky; properly speaking, a constellation is a definite region of the sky in which the configuration of stars is contained...... Click the link for more information. lying E of Cassiopeia and N of Taurus. It contains the bright star Mirfak (Alpha Persei) and Algol Algol (ăl`gŏl), famous variable star in the constellation Perseus ; Bayer designation β Persei; 1992 position R.A.
..... Click the link for more information. (Beta Persei), a visible variable star variable star, star that varies, either periodically or irregularly, in the intensity of the light it emits. Other physical changes are usually correlated with the fluctuations in brightness, such as pulsations in size, ejection of matter, and changes in spectral
..... Click the link for more information. of the type known as an eclipsing variable. Perseus contains two star clusters star cluster, a group of stars near each other in space and resembling each other in certain characteristics that suggest a common origin for the group. Stars in the same cluster move at the same rate and in the same direction.
..... Click the link for more information. (NGC 869 and NGC 884) that are visible to the naked eye, as well as an open cluster (M34) that is barely visible. A meteor shower meteor shower, increase in the number of meteors observed in a particular part of the sky. The trails of the meteors of a meteor shower all appear to be traceable back to a single point in the sky, known as the radiant point, or radiant.
..... Click the link for more information. known as the Perseids appears to radiate from a star in Perseus; this shower can be seen every year for several nights beginning Aug. 10, after midnight. In 1901 a brilliant nova was observed in the constellation. Perseus reaches its highest point in the evening sky in late December.
Perseus
(born c. 213/212—died c. 165 BC, Alba Fucens, near Rome) Last king of Macedonia (r. 179–168). Son of Philip V, he fought against Rome (199) and Aetolia (189). He persuaded the king to execute his brother Demetrius. As king he extended his influence in neighbouring states and tried to gain the trust of the Greek world, but he alarmed Greece by visiting Delphi with an army. Eumenes II of Pergamum informed Rome of Perseus's allegedly aggressive designs, provoking the Third Macedonian War (171–168). The struggle ended in a final defeat of the Macedonians by the Romans, ending the monarchy, and Perseus spent the rest of his life in captivity.
Perseus
)
Perseus, bronze sculpture by Benvenuto Cellini, 1545–54; in the …
(credit: Alinari/Art Resource, New York)
Perseus [′pər·sē·əs]
(astronomy)
A northern constellation; right ascension 3 hours; declination 45°N.
Perseus
ever devoted to wife, Andromeda. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 200]
See : Faithfulness
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