Cassiopeia
Brightest star: Schedar
Cassiopeia forms a distinctive "W" of five bright stars. Opposite the Big Dipper across the North Star, it lies in the Milky Way. Schedar, its alpha star, is an orange giant 700 times more luminous than the Sun.
When to see it
Circumpolar, visible year-round in the Northern Hemisphere.
Mythology
Cassiopeia was an Ethiopian queen who boasted she was more beautiful than the Nereids. Poseidon, outraged, sent the sea monster Cetus to punish her kingdom. Her daughter Andromeda was saved by Perseus. Zeus placed Cassiopeia among the stars — sometimes seated upside down, as punishment for her pride.
Gift idea
The "W" of Cassiopeia is instantly recognizable — perfect for a gift that must be readable at a glance, even by someone who knows nothing about astronomy.