Pegasus (constellation)
Encyclopedia : P : PE : PEG : Pegasus (constellation)
| Pegasus | |
|---|---|
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| Abbreviation | Peg |
| Genitive | Pegasi |
| Symbology | the Winged Horse / Pegasus |
| Right ascension | 23 h |
| Declination | 15° |
| Area | List of constellations by area>Ranked 7th |
| Number of stars (magnitude < 3) | 5 |
| Brightest star | ε Peg (Enif) (Apparent magnitude>App. magnitude 2.39) |
| Meteor showers |
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| Bordering constellations | |
| Visible at latitudes between +90° and −65° Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of October | |
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Pegasus is a northern constellation, named after the mythological Pegasus. It is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy.
Contents
Notable featuresαPeg (Markab), βPeg, and γPeg, together with Alpha Andromedae (Alpheratz or Sirrah) form the large asterism known as the Square of Pegasus. A star in this constellation, 51 Pegasi, is orbited by the first true extrasolar planet (planets orbiting a star other than the Sun) to have been discovered.Notable deep sky objects
History and mythologyPegasus has an appearance resembling a grazing horse, with a large square area as its body [link]. Due to the presence of the 4 brightest stars in the square, i.e. the 4 horses of pegasus, this may be part of the origin of the myth of the Mares of Diomedes, one of The Twelve Labours of Herakles, together with another feature in the Zodiac sign of Aquarius, namely Aquarius itself, pouring out the waters.The star Delta Pegasi (labeled "Sirrah" in the map), one of the 4 stars in Pegasus' square, is now considered to be part of Andromeda, (α Andromedae) and is more usually called "Alpheratz." By moving the star, the square became a triangle attached to a stick body, thus resembling a wing. As a winged horse, Pegasus features in Greek mythology as its namesake, Pegasus. Popular culture
Visualization
 Among Pegasus' brightest stars (of the second magnitude) are α Peg and β Peg, which together with γ Peg (third magnitude) form the triangular wing of the horse. The body of the horse consists of a quadrilateral formed by the stars α Peg, λ Peg, ι Peg, and ξ Peg. The front legs of the winged horse have two stars of the fourth magnitude which have no Bayer designations but which do have Flamsteed numbers: 1 Pegasi and 9 Pegasi. The stars ε Peg and θ Peg belong to the hind legs, with ε being of the third magnitude. ρ Peg and σ Peg belong to the tail, but they are both dim: of the fifth magnitude. η Peg and π Peg form the head: π is the snout, and η has magnitude three. μ Peg is the beginning of the neck. Reference
Stars
See also
External links
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