Pegasus - The Winged HorseLearn about the constellation Pegasus - The Winged Horse, location, facts, mythology, meteor showers and deep space objects.
Pegasus has an appearance resembling a grazing horse, with a large square area as its body.
Location: Northern Autumn 23h RA 15° Dec
The star δ Pegasi, one of the 4 stars in Pegasus Square, was later considered to be part of Andromeda. 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.
Pegasus Mythology
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 Hercules, together with another feature in the Zodiac sign of Aquarius, namely Aquarius itself, pouring out the waters.
Pegasus Deep Space Objects
M15 (NGC 7078) is a globular cluster which is fairly rich and concentrated towards its centre.
NGC 7331 is a spiral galaxy located in Pegasus and is one of the first nebulous objects to be described as "spiral" by William Parsons.
In this table, the observation month represents the month in which the object reaches its highest point in the sky. It can also be viewed a few months before and after depending on your location. Direction is the compass direction in which the object is located, with Z meaning Zenith or overhead.
| # | Image | Common Name | Constellation | Month | Coords | Direction | Mag | Size (arcmin) | Type | Star Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C30 NGC 7331 | Deer Lick Group | Pegasus | Sep | 22h 37.1m RA +34° 25m Dec | Z | 9.50 | 10.5x3.7 | Spiral Galaxy | 🔍︎ | |
| C43 NGC 7814 | The Little Sombrero Galaxy | Pegasus | Oct | 00h 03.3m RA +16° 09m Dec | Z | 10.50 | 5.5x2.3 | Spiral Galaxy | 🔍︎ | |
| C44 NGC 7479 | Propeller Galaxy | Pegasus | Oct | 23h 04.9m RA +12° 19m Dec | Z | 11.00 | 4.1x3.1 | Spiral Galaxy | 🔍︎ | |
| M15 NGC 7078 | Great Pegasus Cluster | Pegasus | Aug | 21h 30.0m RA 12° 10m Dec | SE | 6.20 | 18 | Globular Cluster | 🔍︎ |
More Constellations
| Northern Circumpolar | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camelopardalis | Cassiopeia | Cepheus | Draco | Lacerta | Ursa Major |
| Ursa Minor |
| Northern Spring | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antlia | Boötes | Cancer | Coma Berenices | Crater | Hydra |
| Leo | Leo Minor | Virgo |
| Northern Summer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquila | Corona Borealis | Cygnus | Delphinus | Equuleus | Hercules |
| Libra | Lyra | Ophiuchus | Sagitta | Scutum | Serpens |
| Vulpecula |
| Northern Autumn | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andromeda | Aquarius | Aries | Capricornus | Pegasus | Pisces |
| Triangulum |
| Northern Winter | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auriga | Canes Venatici | Canis Major | Canis Minor | Cetus | Eridanus |
| Gemini | Lepus | Lynx | Monoceros | Orion | Perseus |
| Taurus |
