Nice Sq. of Pegasus
Look east simply after darkish for the Nice Sq. of Pegasus across the time of the September equinox (in 2023, it was on September 23). All through late September and October evenings, the Nice Sq. shall be ascending within the jap night sky. The Nice Sq. consists of 4 stars of almost equal brightness. Particularly, they’re Scheat, Alpheratz, Markab and Algenib. By the way, the constellation Pegasus represents a Flying Horse. However the Nice Sq. – a outstanding asterism inside Pegasus – is a landmark of the Northern Hemisphere’s autumn sky.
To seek out the Nice Sq.
To start with, to seek out the Nice Sq., use the Big Dipper to star-hop to Polaris, the North Star. Then draw an imaginary line from Polaris till you land an outer star on the W or M-shaped constellation Cassiopeia the Queen.
Lastly, a line from Cassiopeia faithfully escorts you to the Nice Sq. of Pegasus.
The moon can information you to the Nice Sq.
The moon will typically be close to the Nice Sq.. Listed below are charts for late September and October 2023.
Additionally check EarthSky’s Visible planets and night sky guide for present info.
Nice Sq. is an asterism, not a constellation
Just like the Massive Dipper, the Nice Sq. of Pegasus isn’t a constellation. As a substitute, it’s an asterism, or noticeable sample on our sky’s dome. And, just like the Massive Dipper, the Nice Sq. can be utilized that can assist you discover different sky treasures, probably the most notable being the Andromeda galaxy, one other well-known sight on autumn evenings within the Northern Hemisphere.
Read more: 2 ways to find the Andromeda galaxy
Nice Sq. of Pegasus: An enormous sq. of nothing
Typically, at occasions the place many are stargazing for the primary time, one might hear:
… the Nice Sq. has nothing in it.
However, in fact, the Nice Sq. isn’t empty. In actual fact, no a part of the evening sky is admittedly empty. However as a result of the celebs contained in the Nice Sq. are so faint, the unaided eye can’t simply detect them. Nonetheless, in case you use binoculars or a small telescope you’ll be able to see many stars inside the Nice Sq.. Counting stars contained in the Nice Sq. is an effective solution to decide how darkish your sky is when observing.
First discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star
One of the crucial well-known faint stars close to the Nice Sq. is 51 Pegasi. In 1995, astronomers introduced within the journal Nature they’d found a planet round this star, and it’s now referred to as 51 Pegasi b. After a number of months of skepticism from the astronomical neighborhood, it was confirmed that the first planet beyond our solar system had been found.
Now we all know that a minimum of 12 stars in Pegasus have exoplanets, and astronomers have confirmed greater than 5,500 exoplanets in our Milky Way galaxy. The astronomers who discovered 51 Pegasi b – Michel Mayor of the College of Geneva and Didier Queloz on the Cavendish Laboratory and Geneva College – acquired the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics for his or her discovery.
Some books say that 51 Pegasi is seen with the unaided eye alone. Nevertheless it’s a problem. Utilizing binoculars, look roughly midway between Scheat and Markab within the Nice Sq. of Pegasus. Word that you simply received’t be capable to see the planets. Pegasus 51 is roughly 50 light-years away from Earth.
Mythology of the Nice Sq. of Pegasus
You may recall that Pegasus was a winged horse in Greek mythology. The constellation Pegasus is one in all seven constellations within the autumn sky that specify why it’s by no means a good suggestion to say a mortal’s magnificence is larger than that of the gods. This story is plastered everywhere in the autumn evening sky, and Pegasus figures into it prominently.
The story goes that Cassiopeia the Queen bragged that she (or her daughter Andromeda the Princess) was extra lovely than the immortal Nereids, or sea nymphs. This angered the gods, who requested the sea-god Poseidon to take revenge. The punishment was that Cepheus the King and Cassiopeia needed to sacrifice Andromeda to Cetus the Whale (generally referred to as a sea monster). Andromeda was chained to a rock at sea. She was about to be wolfed up by Cetus, when she noticed Perseus the Hero – driving Pegasus the Flying Horse – swooping towards her.
Perseus had a trick up his sleeve. He confronted Cetus, holding up the pinnacle of the Gorgon Medusa. It’s stated the sight of the Medusa turned Cetus to stone. Then Perseus whacked the chains that sure Andromeda and freed her. They rode off on Pegasus the Flying Horse and lived fortunately ever after. Later, Zeus positioned all of them within the sky as stars, together with Delphinus the Dolphin, who’d supplied consolation to Andromeda.
Backside line: How one can see the Nice Sq. of Pegasus star sample.
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