Wang Liang

Beautiful Cassiopeia circles high across the northern sky on autumn evenings. Its brightest stars form a letter M or W. The constellation has played a prominent role in the skylore of many cultures. In western culture, it represented the mythological queen of Ethiopia. And in ancient China, it represented a four-horse chariot driven by a famous warrior, Wang Liang. A real historical figure, he lived in the fifth century B.C., and was particularly known for his integrity. In his honor, astronomers named the star at the bottom left point of the “M” for the warrior himself — “the first star of Wang Liang.” Four other stars in the pattern represented the chariot’s horses. They were known as Wang Liang Er, San, Si, and Wu — “the second, third, fourth, and fifth stars of Wang Liang.” And one more was named Tsih, from the Mandarin word for riding whip. The constellation is close enough to the Pole Star that it never sets as seen from most of the United States. But it does circle around the Po