Light from Merak on May 11, 2024
- According to Wikipedia, Merak is 79.7 ± 0.3 ly away, or approximately 953 to 960 light months away. On May 11, 2024, this means the light left Merak as late as December 1944 (953 months ago) or as early as May 1944 (960 months ago). During this period the world was at war. The USS Merak, a cargo ship acquired by the U.S. Navy, was making Caribbean and transatlantic voyages. In June, D-Day was launched. In August, Paris was liberated, and in December, Germany launched the Battle of the Bulge. Also of note was the Holocaust throughout this period. The war would not be ended for another year.
- Perseus (constellation) (Wikipedia)
Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, being named after the Greek mythological hero Perseus. It is one of the 48 ancient constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and among the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It is located near several other constellations named after ancient Greek legends surrounding Perseus, including Andromeda to the west and Cassiopeia to the north. Perseus is also bordered by Aries and Taurus to the south, Auriga to the east, Camelopardalis to the north, and Triangulum to the west. Some star atlases during the early 19th century also depicted Perseus holding the disembodied head of Medusa, whose asterism was named together as Perseus et Caput Medusae; however, this never came into popular usage.
