You know that fall is right around the corner when you see the constellation Pegasus rising up in the eastern sky. Pegasus is a familiar and popular winged horse from Greek mythology. It is said Pegasus was born from the blood of the Gorgon, Medusa. Although most often associated with the legends of Perseus, other tales have Pegasus bearing the Greek hero Bellerophon.
The most famous of Bellerophon’s stories is a quest to defeat the Chimera, a fire-breathing monster with the body of a goat, the head of a lion and the tail of a serpent. Given a golden bridle by the goddess Athena, Bellerophon defeats the Chimera. His fame increases during his many subsequent quests. This goes to his head, and he becomes so arrogant he decides he belongs on Mount Olympus alongside the other gods. Zeus strikes him down during his journey by sending a gadfly to sting Pegasus, who rears and sends Bellerophon down to his death. Zeus, however, takes in Pegasus and has him bear the god’s thunderbolts.
The constellation Pegasus is rises up higher into the evening sky and is visible after 8:30 p.m. in the east. Photo courtesy of starrynight.com
As we get closer to the fall equinox, the sun is setting earlier. Sunset is at 7:22 p.m. this week. You can spot Pegasus about an hour later. The key is to look for four stars in the shape of a square. This is known as the Great Square of Pegasus, but it looks more like a diamond shape as it rises up into the eastern sky, as if balanced on one corner. The stars in the square are not bright but are usually fairly easy to pick out here as the sky gets darker.
The four stars are named Scheat, Markab, Algenib and Alpheratz. They form the body of the horse. The front legs extend out from Scheat. The head and neck are formed from Markab and the tail from Algenib. Pegasus technically doesn’t have back legs, but most stargazers borrow the stars of the neighboring constellation Andromeda. The fourth star in the square, Alpheratz, is officially part of the constellation Andromeda.
M15 is a globular star cluster located about 33,000 light years away from us. It is visible in binoculars and small telescopes not far from Pegasus’ nose. Photo courtesy of Adam Block/Mt Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona
Enif, the star at the tip of Pegasus’ nose, comes in handy for finding a nice star cluster. Called M15, this globular star cluster is located about 33,000 light years away from us. It contains approximately 100,000 stars and is bright enough to be seen in binoculars. Just follow straight out from Enif about 4 degrees. M15 appears as a fuzzy round patch of light. You’ll need a telescope that’s 6 inches in diameter or larger to be able to see its stars.
Kevin D. Conod is an astronomer and president of the North Jersey Astronomical Group.
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September 06, 2021 at 06:30PM
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Jersey Skies: See Pegasus and dazzling star cluster soar across the eastern sky - Jersey's Best
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