Constellation, Winged Horse
Pegasus
The winged horse of Greek myth, born from the body of Medusa and ridden by the hero Bellerophon. Its body is the large Square of Pegasus.
From New York on October 13, 2026, the centre of Pegasus rises at 2:56 PM, is highest at 10:12 PM (69° above the horizon in the S) and sets at 5:28 AM.
In the 3D sky
The sky over New York turned towards Pegasus. Drag to look around.
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Evening visibility over the year
Height of the constellation’s centre above the horizon at 10 pm local time on the 15th of each month, from New York. Above about 30° it is well placed.
Name and history
When Perseus cut off the head of Medusa, the winged horse Pegasus sprang from her body. His name is linked to the Greek word for springs. At Mount Helicon, home of the Muses, his hoof struck a rock and a spring gushed out, named Hippocrene, ‘horse’s fountain’. Pegasus is often called the horse of Perseus, but in myth his rider was Bellerophon. Bellerophon tamed him with a golden bridle from Athene and flew on him to kill the fire-breathing Chimaera. Later Bellerophon tried to ride up to Olympus and fell. Pegasus flew on, and Zeus placed him among the stars.
The Greeks from Aratus to Ptolemy called the figure simply Hippos, the horse. Only the front half appears in the sky. Four stars form the Square of Pegasus, but one corner star now belongs to Andromeda. Arab astronomers saw the Square as a leather well bucket. Enif, on the horse’s muzzle, comes from the Arabic for ‘nose’, and Markab from the word for ‘shoulder’.
Sources: Ian Ridpath, Star Tales: Pegasus
Brightest stars
| Star | Designation | Magnitude | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enif | ε Peg | 2.38 | 690 light-years |
| Scheat | β Peg | 2.44 | 196 light-years |
| Markab | α Peg | 2.49 | 133 light-years |
| Algenib | γ Peg | 2.83 | 392 light-years |
| Matar | η Peg | 2.93 | 214 light-years |
| Homam | ζ Peg | 3.41 | 204 light-years |
| Sadalbari | μ Peg | 3.51 | 106 light-years |
| Biham | θ Peg | 3.52 | 92 light-years |
| ι Peg | ι Peg | 3.77 | 38 light-years |
| λ Peg | λ Peg | 3.97 | 365 light-years |
Facts
| Area | about 1,120 square degrees (7 of 88) |
|---|---|
| IAU abbreviation | Peg |
| Sky | Northern sky |
| Origin | Listed in Ptolemy’s Almagest, about AD 150, as Hippos, the horse |
| Stars brighter than magnitude 5 | 31 |
| Centre (J2000) | 22.8 h, 20° |
Deep-sky objects
Galaxies, clusters and nebulae brighter than magnitude 9, from the OpenNGC catalogue. Most need binoculars or a telescope and a dark sky.
| Object | Type | Magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| M15 | Globular cluster | 6.3 |
Boundaries: International Astronomical Union, via Astronomy Engine. Areas are computed from the boundaries by sampling (within about one percent). Names and lines: Stellarium. Stars: HYG Database. Deep-sky objects: OpenNGC. Calculated with Astronomy Engine, an open-source library verified against the US Naval Observatory and NASA JPL. Data sources
How to use this page
Choose your place and a night at the top. The answer and the 3D view show where the constellation is, when it is highest and whether it rises at all from where you are. The chart shows its stars and lines, and the tables list its brightest stars and the deep-sky objects inside it.
Frequently asked questions
When is a constellation best seen?
When it is highest in a dark sky, which the page gives for the night you pick. Each constellation is best placed in a particular season, because the stars rise about four minutes earlier every night.
Why can I not see a constellation from my place?
Constellations far south of the celestial equator never rise from northern places, and those far north never rise from southern ones. The page says when this is the case.
What are the constellation boundaries?
The International Astronomical Union divides the sky into 88 areas with official boundaries. The stick figures are only a drawing aid, the boundaries say which constellation a point in the sky belongs to.
Related guides
- How to learn the constellationsStart with one bright pattern you cannot miss, use it as a signpost to its neighbours, and come back a month later: the sky will have turned, and you will know a little more of it.
- Altitude and azimuth: finding things in the skyTwo angles tell you exactly where to look: which direction, and how high.
- Light pollution and dark skies: the Bortle scaleFrom a city centre you can count a few dozen stars. From a truly dark site you can count a few thousand, with the Milky Way bright enough to cast a shadow. The Bortle scale puts a number on the difference.
- Binoculars for stargazing: what to buy and what to look atA pair of 7x50 or 10x50 binoculars shows the craters of the Moon, the moons of Jupiter, dozens of star clusters and the Andromeda Galaxy, for a fraction of the cost of a telescope.