- Star Tales - Coma Berenices (ianridpath.com)
Between Boötes and Leo lies a fan-shaped swarm of faint stars that was known to the Greeks but was not classed by them as a separate constellation. Eratosthenes referred to this swarm as the hair of Ariadne under his entry on the Northern Crown (Corona Borealis), but under Leo he said it was the hair of Queen Berenice of Egypt, which is how we identify it today.
- Coma Berenices (Wikipedia)
Coma Berenices is an ancient asterism in the northern sky, which has been defined as one of the 88 modern constellations. It is in the direction of the fourth galactic quadrant, between Leo and Boötes, and it is visible in both hemispheres. Its name means “Berenice’s Hair” in Latin and refers to Queen Berenice II of Egypt, who sacrificed her long hair as a votive offering. It was introduced to Western astronomy during the third century BC by Conon of Samos and was further corroborated as a constellation by Gerardus Mercator and Tycho Brahe. It is the only modern constellation named for a historic person.
