Pegasus, Equuleus and Delphinus Constellations

Pegasus, Equuleus and Delphinus Constellations

Pegasus is a constellation in the northern sky. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. Pegasus is named after the winged horse Pegasus in Greek mythology. Equuleus is a constellation. Its name is Latin for, little horse, a foal. It is the second smallest of the modern constellations (after Crux), spanning only 72 square degrees. It is also very faint, having no stars brighter than the fourth magnitude. The Atlas Coelestis is a star atlas published posthumously in 1729, based on observations made by the First Astronomer Royal, John Flamsteed. The Atlas, the largest that ever had been published and the first comprehensive telescopic star catalogue and companion celestial atlas, contains 26 maps of the major constellations visible from Greenwich, with drawings made in the Rococo style by James Thornhill. One of his main motivations to produce the Atlas, was to correct the representation of the figures of the constellations, as made by Bayer's, Uranometria (1603). Bayer represented the figures viewed from behind (not from the front, as was done since the time of Ptolemy), which reversed the placement of stars and created unnecessary confusion.

Album / Science Source / U.S. Naval Observatory Library

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4200 x 3359 px | 40.4 MB

35.6 x 28.4 cm | 14.0 x 11.2 in (300 dpi)