We will start the month with a look at one of the night sky’s mythical creatures: Pegasus, the winged horse. According to Greek myth, Pegasus was ridden by the hero Perseus in his quest to save the beautiful Andromeda from the dreaded sea monster Cetus.
The constellation is one of 48 listed by Ptolemy in the second century. The easiest way to spot Pegasus is to look for the large square body, marked by the stars Scheat, Markab, Algenib and Alpheratz. From the northern hemisphere, the horse is depicted as being upside down, with the neck represented by the star Homam and the snout by Enif.
On a clear, dark night, look beyond Enif to find the faint constellation of Equuleus, the foal. This depicts Celeris, the offspring or brother (depending on the myth) of Pegasus.
Riding high at this time of year, Pegasus is excellently placed for early evening northern hemisphere observers. The chart shows the view looking due south from London at 2000 GMT on 4 November but the view will be essentially identical all week. At this time of year from the southern hemisphere, Pegasus is visible right-way up in the northern sky, but down low and close to the horizon.
