"The Winged Horse"
Mythology:
This constellation represents one of the more fascinating and
imagination-provoking
figures. What child has not dreamed of being whisked away on a
flying
horse? Classically, there are several accounts that include the
Flying
Horse Pegasus. Please note that Pegasus and Hercules are not
paired
in these accounts, a misconception being promoted by Disney's movie and
TV show Hercules.
Pegasus came into being because of the adventures of Perseus, not
Hercules.
Perseus slew the Gorgon Medusa as part of his effort to rescue the
Princess
Andromeda. Perseus carried her head back to the shore, and when
Medusa's
blood dripped into the foam of the sea, Pegasus rose from the sea
having
been created by Neptune. Pegasus was then ridden by Perseus as he
rescued Andromeda. However, one version of the story has Pegasus
rising from the body of Medusa as soon as Perseus decapitated
her.
An older story has Pegasus being tamed by the Goddess Athena or Minerva
for the purpose of carrying Zeus' thunderbolts, with no mention of
Perseus
nor Medusa.
Pegasus was truly a fantastic and mystical creature. Legend
states
that Pegasus went to live with the Nine Muses on Mount Helicon in
Boetia.
Pegasus fit in well with the Muses; in fact, one time Pegasus stomped
his
hoof into the ground and a spring suddenly flowed where there had
previously
been none. This spring was named the Hippocrene ("The Horse's
Fountain")
and would inspire poetry into whoever drank from it. This is why
even today the symbol for the arts, particularly poetry, is a flying
horse.
Later, Bellerophon, son of King Ephyra of Glaucus, tamed Pegasus and
rode
him into battle against the Chimaera (which had the head of a lion, the
body of a goat, and the tail of a snake). Unfortunately,
Bellerophon
felt just a little too confident upon the back of Pegasus, and
attempted
to ride up to Mount Olympus itself! Zeus was furious that a mere
mortal would even attempt such a feat, and caused Bellerophon to fall
to
the Earth, either with a thunderbolt or by sending a fly to sting
Pegasus
and cause him to buck.
It is here where the newer stories merge with the older ones:
Zeus
allowed Pegasus to finish his trip to Mount Olympus, where Pegasus was
given the honor of carrying Zeus' thunderbolts. Pegasus was
honored
by being placed among the stars.
The constellation contains a group of galaxies
called Stephan's Quintet (after M.E. Stephen who discovered this group
in 1877). Four of the galaxies (one an intruder that is just
"passing through") are actually interacting with each other, some even
stripping gases from the others. It should be noted that this
group is described as having five galaxies, the fifth is actually about
one-eighth as close as the others. Since it lies in the same
direction, and we don't have depth perception without the aid of
instruments, it is still considered a member of this group.
Also of interest is the star 51 Pegasi. The
first extra-solar planet was discovered orbiting this star, designated
51 Pegasi b. This planet is more than half the size of Jupiter,
but is not a gas giant like Jupiter, but a terrestrial word like
Earth. However, 51 Pegasi b is only 5 million miles from the
star, resulting in incredible tidal forces that yield many
volcanoes. In addition, the surface temperature of this world is
1300 degrees Celsius - hot enough to melt aluminum and vaporize some
rocks! Not very hospitable for life as we know it.