Of all 65-plus constellations available in the heavens over the Northwest during the course of the year, some are bright and some are dim. Some are big and some are small. The springtime constellation Coma Berenices is both small and dim. Its one redeeming value is that its one of those few constellations that sort of looks like what its supposed to be: locks of long flowing hair being tossed in a cosmic breeze. To see Coma Berenices in its true glory you have to get out in the countryside. Read more
Coma Berenices is one of those not-so-spectacular spring constellations. It's small and dim, but it's easy to find and it has a great story. Coma Berenices also is one of the newer constellations, listed in 1602 as a constellation to honour Tycho Brahe, the somewhat infamous astronomer who had died just one year earlier. Tycho was the son of wealthy Danish nobles and became fascinated with astronomy when he witnessed a partial solar eclipse when he was 14 .