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Stars and Sticks| Abbreviation | Peg |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Winged Horse |
| Pronunciation Guide is based on “Pronouncing Astronomical Names,” published in 1943 by the American Astronomical Society. | PEG-us-us |
| Genitive The genitive is the Latin possessive form used in star names. For example, Alpha Orionis means “the Alpha of Orion.” | PAY-guh-sye |
| Best Month | October |
| Visibility | Northern |
| Origin | AncientThese figures are rooted in the classical Greek and Mesopotamian traditions cataloged by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. |
| Author | PtolemyPtolemy, a 2nd-century Greco-Egyptian astronomer, cataloged the 48 classical constellations in his landmark work, the Almagest. These form the core of the 88 modern constellations recognized today. |
| Type | constellation |
| Difficulty | Easiest |
| Description | The great winged horse of Greek mythology was born in one of myth's most violent moments — springing fully formed from the neck of the Medusa when Perseus severed her head. Pegasus carried the hero Bellerophon in his battle against the fire-breathing Chimera, but when Bellerophon attempted to ride to Olympus itself, Zeus sent a gadfly to sting the horse and threw the presumptuous mortal back to Earth. The constellation is best known for the Great Square of Pegasus — a large asterism of four roughly equal-magnitude stars dominating autumn skies. The brightest star, Enif ('the nose' in Arabic), is an orange supergiant about 690 light-years away that occasionally brightens dramatically. |
| Asterism | Great Square: A large, conspicuous square of stars forming the body of the horse. |
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Monthly sky charts courtesy of What's Out Tonight? — Copyright ©2026 Ken Graun. Star charts are optimized for mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Click a chart to view or download the PDF. For guidance on using the chart, or to purchase a planisphere and astronomy books, visit kenpress.com.
Images: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik · IAU and Sky & Telescope · Stellarium — Full credits →
