A

David

Darling

Pegasus

Pegasus

Pegasus. © 2003 Torsten Bronger.


Pegasus (abbreviation: Peg), the Winged Horse, is a large northern constellation. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Peg, together with Alpha Andromedae (which was originally Delta Peg), form the Square of Pegasus. The most prominent deep-sky object is the globular cluster M15 (NGC 7078), one of the densest of its type and notable for its many variable stars and pulsars (magnitude 6.3; diameter 12.3 arcminutes; RA 21h 30.0m, Dec +12° 10'). Binoculars and small telescopes show it as a misty patch; telescopes of at last 15-centimeter aperture resolve individual stars. See below for details of the constellation's brightest stars.

 


Square of Pegasus

 

Square of Pegasus

 

The Square of Pegasus is a large, approximate square of conspicuous stars in an otherwise barren part of the northern sky. Three of the corner-stars, Markab, Scheat and Algenib, belong Pegasus. The fourth, Sirrah, was lost to Pegasus when the constellation boundaries were formalised, and now lies just within the borders of Andromeda.

 


Stars brighter than magnitude 4.0
star vis mag abs mag spec type distance (ly) RA (h m s) Dec (° ' ")
Epsilon (Enif) 2.38 -4.19 K2Ib 673 21 44 11 +09 52 30
Beta (Scheat) 2.44 -1.49 M2.5II 199 23 03 46 +28 04 58
Alpha (Markab) 2.49 -0.67 B9III 140 23 04 46 +15 12 19
Gamma (Algenib) 2.83v -2.22 B2IV 333 00 13 14 +15 11 01
Eta (Matar) 2.93 -1.17 G2II+F0V 215 22 43 00 +30 13 17
Zeta (Homan) 3.41 -0.62 B8V 209 22 41 28 +10 49 53
Mu (Sadalbari) 3.51 0.74 M2III 117 22 50 00 +24 36 06
Theta (Biham) 3.52 1.16 A2V 97 22 10 12 +06 11 52
Iota 3.77 3.42 F5V 38 22 07 01 +25 20 42

 


Constellations
Andromeda | Antlia | Apus | Aquarius | Aquila | Ara | Aries | Auriga | Bootes | Caelum | Camelopardalis | Cancer | Canes Venatici | Canis Major | Canis Minor | Capricornus | Carina | Cassiopeia | Centaurus | Cepheus | Cetus | Chamaeleon | Circinus | Columba | Coma Berenices | Corona Austrina | Corona Borealis | Corvus | Crater | Crux | Cygnus | Delphinus | Dorado | Draco | Equuleus | Eridanus | Fornax | Gemini | Grus | Hercules | Horologium | Hydra | Hydrus | Indus | Lacerta | Leo | Leo Minor | Lepus | Libra | Lupus | Lynx | Lyra | Mensa | Microscopium | Monoceros | Musca | Norma | Octans | Ophiuchus | Orion | Pavo | Pegasus | Perseus | Phoenix | Pictor | Pisces | Piscis Austrinus | Puppis | Pyxis | Reticulum | Sagitta | Sagittarius | Scorpius | Sculptor | Scutum | Serpens | Sextans | Taurus | Telescopium | Triangulum | Triangulum Australe | Tucana | Ursa Major | Ursa Minor | Vela | Virgo | Volans | Vulpecula