Pegasus the Flying Horse
Pegasus the Flying Horse rises within the east on autumn evenings within the Northern Hemisphere (spring evenings within the Southern Hemisphere). It dominates the sky with its large sq. asterism, fittingly known as the Great Square. In mythology, Pegasus figured into the best – certainly essentially the most elaborate – of all sky myths. This one is from historical Greece some 3,000 years in the past. In keeping with the parable, Pegasus was the flying horse ridden by Perseus the Hero, as he swooped in to save lots of Princess Andromeda from a sea monster. There’s extra to the story, which you’ll discover within the video on the high of this web page.
As we speak, we see Pegasus because the Seventh-largest of the 88 official constellations. And Pegasus is simple to seek out. On fall evenings within the Northern Hemisphere, this constellation climbs above the jap horizon, reaching a spot almost overhead by late fall.
Its asterism – the Nice Sq. of Pegasus – is big. The sq. alone is 20 degrees broad from high to backside. That’s the span of two fist-widths held at arm’s size.
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Stars of Pegasus
Because it rises within the night, the star within the Nice Sq. closest to the horizon is Algenib, with a magnitude of two.8. It lies 333 light-years away. The star on the alternative nook of the sq. from Algenib is Scheat, a magnitude 2.4 star mendacity 199 light-years away. The star to the south within the sq. is Markab, a magnitude 2.5 star at a distance of 140 light-years. And the ultimate star within the sq. is Alpheratz. Technically, Alpheratz lies simply throughout the border of Pegasus and is definitely a member of the constellation Andromeda. Alpheratz is the brightest of the 4 stars at magnitude 2.1 and lies 97 light-years away.
The Nice Sq. marks the physique of the flying horse. Trails main off the west facet of the sq. mark the entrance legs and head of Pegasus. Extending out from Markab, two stars at magnitude 3.4 and three.5, Homam and Biham, prepared the ground to the top star, magnitude 2.4 Enif. This star might be useful to find the globular cluster M15.
Discover the forelegs of Pegasus off of Scheat. 5 levels west of Scheat is magnitude 3.0 Matar. Because the brightest leg star in Pegasus, it’s useful to find a few notable galaxies.
The asterism of the Nice Sq.
The Nice Sq. of Pegasus can seem like an enormous diamond. Consider it as a large baseball diamond rising throughout playoffs month within the east after darkish. Asterisms, such because the Nice Sq., are teams of stars that aren’t labeled as constellations however are straightforward to acknowledge.
Utilizing Pegasus to seek out the Andromeda Galaxy
Pegasus is near the constellation Andromeda, so it’s helpful for star-hopping to the Andromeda galaxy. You’ll want a dark-sky site to trace down Andromeda with out optical support. It’s a lot simpler to identify with binoculars or a telescope. Observe this link for extra info on find out how to use Pegasus to seek out Andromeda.
Stephan’s Quintet
Pegasus is house to many galaxy clusters. Essentially the most well-known might be Stephan’s Quintet, a favourite goal amongst astrophotographers. This tight gathering of 5 galaxies has a magnitude of 13.6. The most important and brightest, NGC 7320, has a small redshift in comparison with the opposite 4, revealing that it’s most likely not a bodily member of the group and only a line-of-sight coincidence.
Enjoyable reality: Within the 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life, angels in heaven discussing George Bailey are depicted because the galaxies in Stephan’s Quintet.
Different galaxies in Pegasus the Flying Horse
Three different notable galaxy clusters lie in Pegasus. The brightest is magnitude 9.5 and is simply half a level from Stephan’s Quintet. The cluster has the curious title Deer Lick Group. Observe Scheat to Matar after which about 4.5 levels farther and barely north of the route you had been heading. This can carry you to the Deer Lick Group, NGC 7331. Right here you’ll discover one giant spiral galaxy and a spattering of smaller ones.
The Pegasus I Cluster lies on the southern fringe of the constellation not removed from the circlet of Pisces. At a distance of 8 levels from Markab on the sky’s dome, the Pegasus I Cluster is a magnitude 11.1 grouping. The galaxy cluster requires a big telescope to see or a long-exposure {photograph}, however it reveals a gorgeous and hanging variety of galaxies.
The Pegasus II Cluster lies again throughout the sq. of Pegasus. Midway between Alpheratz and Scheat, it lies simply contained in the border of a line that might be drawn connecting these two stars. A bit dimmer at magnitude 12.6, the Pegasus II Cluster (NGC 7720) is a robust radio supply, the goal of a lot scientific research.
Globular Cluster M15 in Pegasus the Flying Horse
One different deep-sky object of word in Pegasus is the globular cluster M15. Yow will discover M15 simply utilizing the top and neck stars of Pegasus. Begin with the star Markab and go to the 2 dimmer stars that mark the neck. From the final star of the neck (Biham) to the brighter head star Enif, proceed a line straight out for slightly greater than 4 levels. Right here you’ll discover the magnitude 6.4 globular cluster M15. It lies about 33,600 light-years away and can present up properly in a pair of binoculars.
First exoplanet round a sun-like star
Astronomers found the primary exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star within the constellation Pegasus. They named the planet 51 Pegasi b after the star it orbits. Didier Queloz and Michel Mayor found the planet in 1995 and obtained the Nobel Prize in Physics for his or her discovery in 2019.
Backside line: Pegasus the Flying Horse is a big constellation that dominates autumn skies within the Northern Hemisphere (spring skies within the Southern Hemisphere). The constellation incorporates a well-known asterism known as the Nice Sq..
