The constellation of Coma Berenices (the Hair of Berenice), a rather faint group of stars located between Bootes, Ursa Major and Leo. Coma Berenices w

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The constellation of Coma Berenices (the Hair of Berenice), a rather faint group of stars located between Bootes, Ursa Major and Leo. Coma Berenices was named by the great Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe in 1602. Although it is a relatively modern constellation, it does have a legend attached. Berenice was the wife of Ptolemy Euergetes, King of Egypt, who vowed to sacrifice her hair if her husband was successful in waging war against the Assyrians. On his return, she cut off her hair and placed it in the temple of Aphrodite, but Zeus immortalised the tresses by placing them in the heavens. Coma Berenices is a spring constellation for northern observers. See \Observing the Constellations\", page 68."

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Keywords: astronomy, berenices, coma, constellation, cosmology, hemisphere, northern, science, star, stars, stellar