Pegasus - Revision history

Sushoff at 11:15, 27 February 2026

2026-02-27T11:15:08Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:15, 27 February 2026
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	[[File:Pegasus IAU.svg\|alt=star chart\|thumb\|Peg star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).]]		[[File:Pegasus IAU.svg\|alt=star chart\|thumb\|Peg star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).]]
	One of the [[:Category:88_IAU-Constellations\|88 IAU constellations]]. The ancient Greek constellation has always been called The Horse (without wings). However, the mythology associated with it has simultaneously always left Pegasus, the winged horse, as one of several options. Scholars suspect that the constellation has Phoenician origin<ref>Condos, T. (1997), Star Myths ofthe Greeks and Romans: A Sourcebook, Phanes Press, Grand Rapids, page 154.</ref> or originated from a pun or misunderstanding of a Babylonian term in the Mycaenian<ref name=":1" /> culture.		One of the [[:Category:88_IAU-Constellations\|88 IAU constellations]]. The ancient Greek constellation has always been called The Horse (without wings). However, the mythology associated with it has simultaneously always left Pegasus, the winged horse, as one of several options. Scholars suspect that the constellation has Phoenician origin<ref>Condos, T. (1997), Star Myths ofthe Greeks and Romans: A Sourcebook, Phanes Press, Grand Rapids, page 154.</ref> or originated from a pun or misunderstanding of a Babylonian term in the Mycaenian<ref name=":1" /> culture, or influence of any cultural exchange with India due to the [[Ashvini]] nakșatra.<ref>Susanne M. Hoffmann,* Khalid AlAjaji, B.S. Shylaja, Yang Boshun, Danielle Adams, Eric Mamajek, Ian Ridpath, Paul Baki, Juan Antonio Belmonte Avilés, Sze-Leung Cheung, Daniel Cunnama, Jörg Matthias Determann, M. Sadegh Faghanpour, Steven Gullberg, Duane Hamacher, Roland Laffitte, Alejandro M. López, Javier Mejuto, Thierry Montmerle, Clive Ruggles, Shi Yunli, Doris Vickers, Sun Xiaochun, and Hitoshi Yamaoka (2025). The IAU Working Group on Star Names (WGSN): '''Research Finds in 2025'''. ''Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage'', 28(4), 1026–1038 (2025).</ref>

	==Etymology and History==		==Etymology and History==

Sushoff at 19:44, 26 February 2026

2026-02-26T19:44:34Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:44, 26 February 2026
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	=== Origin of Constellation ===		=== Origin of Constellation ===
			<ref>Hoffmann, Susanne M. Wie der Löwe an den Himmel kam. Franckh Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 2021</ref>In Greek, this constellation is simply called ‘horse,’ and authors disagree about which horse it is and what it is doing in the sky. Aratus states that the hoofprints of this horse created Hippocrene, the horse spring below the eastern peak of Mount Helicon north of Corinth. He thus implies that it could be Pegasus, but Eratosthenes also quotes unnamed ‘other’ authors who do not believe this because the horse in the sky has no wings.

			Euripides, on the other hand, identifies the horse with Hippe, the daughter of the wise centaur Cheiron, who wanted to hide her pregnancy from her father. Even after she was transformed into a horse, she hides her lower body, which is why only the upper body of the horse is visible. Moreover, she is never in the sky at the same time as the centaur because she hides from him.

			For mathematical astronomy, the constellation was always called ‘the horse’; this is beyond question for Eratosthenes, Hipparchus and Ptolemy. For Eratosthenes, it is wingless, Ptolemy records a star below the wing, and for Hipparchus this cannot be determined because his star catalogue has not been preserved. Aratus' didactic poem was part of basic education in ancient times, i.e. it was much better known than the scholarly texts of mathematical astronomy. The memorable hexameters could be useful as farmers' rules, and even though the weather in Central Europe differs from that in the Mediterranean region, some observations about the seasons can also be applied there. The interpretation of the winged horse survived both in the Arab Middle Ages with as-Sufi and in the Latin Middle Ages with the Carolingians – not only because of the popularity of the poem, but also because ancient illustrations still existed at that time, which are no longer preserved today. This is evidenced by manuscripts such as the Leiden Aratea from the Carolingian period and the impressive illustrations by as-Sufi in Iran.

			The Babylonian constellation at this point was the quadrangle, which is called the Autumn Square in the northern hemisphere. The Babylonian quadrangle has the technical name IKU (the field), a unit of area for farmland similar to our hectare. It is also considered the seat of the god Ea, a god of wisdom and magic.

			In this case, too, the Greek constellation, which dates back to archaic times, could be based on the Babylonian model: the Sumerian loanword ‘IKU’ sounds very similar to the word for horse in the Mycenaean dialect of Greek: ‘Iqo’. Coupled with the ambiguity of the obsolete Mesopotamian vocabulary, this may easily have led to a (deliberate or accidental) reinterpretation. It's as if I were to say ‘look, there's a morning’ and mean a piece of land. But because the unit of measurement ‘morning’ is completely obsolete for areas of land, most people would misunderstand me and think of an early hour of the day.

			==== Babylonian ====
			see

			* [[IKU]]

	==== Ancient Greco-Roman ''Ίππος'' Horse ====		==== Ancient Greco-Roman ''Ίππος'' Horse ====

Sushoff: /* Setting (Lib II Cap VI §10) */

2026-02-24T07:41:10Z

Setting (Lib II Cap VI §10)

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:41, 24 February 2026
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	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|
	\|		\|Aqr 12 1/2
	\|		\|Psc 13
	\|		\|Tau 3 1/2
	\|		\|Gem 10 1/2
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|
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	\|-		\|-
	\|star		\|star
	\|		\|the bright one mouth (eps)
	\|		\|the bright one at the hip (gam)
	\|		\|
	\|		\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|duration		\|duration
	\| colspan="4" \|2 2/3 hours = ~~160~~ min = ~~40°~~		\| colspan="4" \|2 1/2 hours = 150 min = 37 1/2°
	\|}		\|}

Sushoff: /* Hipparchus */

2026-02-23T15:15:13Z

Hipparchus

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:15, 23 February 2026
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	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|
	\|		\|Cap 1
	\|		\|Aqr 21
	\|		\|Lib 20 1/2
	\|		\|Sgr 5 1/2
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|
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	\|-		\|-
	\|star		\|star
	\|		\|the southern front foot
	\|		\|the bright one at the hip
	\|		\|
	\|		\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|duration		\|duration
	\| colspan="4" \|~~2 1/8~~ hours = ~~127.5~~ min = ~~31 7/8~~ degree		\| colspan="4" \|3 hours = 180 min = 45 degree
	\|}		\|}

Sushoff: /* Hipparchus */

2026-02-22T17:52:28Z

Hipparchus

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:52, 22 February 2026
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	===== Hipparchus =====		===== Hipparchus =====

			====== Rising (Lib II Cap V §10) ======
			<blockquote>The Rising of ...</blockquote>
			{\| class="wikitable"
			\|+
			!
			! colspan="2" \|east
			! colspan="2" \|south
			\|-
			!
			!lam1
			!lam2
			!lam1
			!lam2
			\|-
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|-
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|-
			\|star
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|-
			\|duration
			\| colspan="4" \|2 1/8 hours = 127.5 min = 31 7/8 degree
			\|}

			====== Setting (Lib II Cap VI §10) ======
			{\| class="wikitable"
			!
			! colspan="2" \|west
			! colspan="2" \|south
			\|-
			!
			!lam1
			!lam2
			!lam1
			!lam2
			\|-
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|-
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|-
			\|star
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|-
			\|duration
			\| colspan="4" \|2 2/3 hours = 160 min = 40°
			\|}

			====== Stars Mentioned ======
			{\| class="wikitable"
			\|+
			!
			!Greek
			!German
			!English
			!ident.
			!src
			!
			!lam_culm
			\|-
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|Lib II Cap V §10
			\|rising, east, first
			\|
			\|-
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|Lib II Cap V §10
			\|rising, east, last
			\|
			\|-
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|Lib II Cap VI §2
			\|setting CrB, south, last
			\|Psc 13.5
			\|-
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|Lib II Cap VI §13
			\|setting Aql, south, first
			\|Ari 2
			\|-
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|
			\|Lib III Cap I §9
			\|rising Ori, south, last
			\|Psc 13
			\|}

	===== Hyginus, Astronomica =====		===== Hyginus, Astronomica =====

YoulaAzkarrula: /* Ptolemy's Almagest */

2026-02-06T10:34:10Z

Ptolemy's Almagest

Show changes

Sushoff at 13:30, 20 January 2026

2026-01-20T13:30:41Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:30, 20 January 2026
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			Authors: {{PAGEAUTHORS}}
			----
	[[File:Pegasus IAU.svg\|alt=star chart\|thumb\|Peg star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).]]		[[File:Pegasus IAU.svg\|alt=star chart\|thumb\|Peg star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).]]
	One of the [[:Category:88_IAU-Constellations\|88 IAU constellations]]. The ancient Greek constellation has always been called The Horse (without wings). However, the mythology associated with it has simultaneously always left Pegasus, the winged horse, as one of several options. Scholars suspect that the constellation has Phoenician origin<ref>Condos, T. (1997), Star Myths ofthe Greeks and Romans: A Sourcebook, Phanes Press, Grand Rapids, page 154.</ref> or originated from a pun or misunderstanding of a Babylonian term in the Mycaenian<ref name=":1" /> culture.		One of the [[:Category:88_IAU-Constellations\|88 IAU constellations]]. The ancient Greek constellation has always been called The Horse (without wings). However, the mythology associated with it has simultaneously always left Pegasus, the winged horse, as one of several options. Scholars suspect that the constellation has Phoenician origin<ref>Condos, T. (1997), Star Myths ofthe Greeks and Romans: A Sourcebook, Phanes Press, Grand Rapids, page 154.</ref> or originated from a pun or misunderstanding of a Babylonian term in the Mycaenian<ref name=":1" /> culture.

Dorvic at 15:23, 2 May 2025

2025-05-02T15:23:34Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:23, 2 May 2025
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	===== Hipparchus =====		===== Hipparchus =====

			===== Hyginus, Astronomica =====
			<blockquote>This sign Aratus and many others have called Pegasus, offspring of Neptune and the Gorgon Medusa, who on Helicon, a mountain of Boeotia, opened up a spring by striking the rock with his hoof. From him the spring is called Hippocrene. Others say that at the time Bellerophon came to visit Proetus, son of Abas and king of the Argives, Antia, the king's wife, smitten with love for the guest, begged to visit him, promising him her husband's kingdom. When she couldn't obtain this request, out of fear that he would accuse her to the king, she anticipated him by telling Proetus that he had offered violence to her. Proetus, who had been fond of Bellerophon, was reluctant to inflict punishment himself, but knowing that he had the horse Pegasus, sent him to the father of Antia (some call her Sthenoboea), for him to defend his daughter's chastity and send the youth against the Chimera, which at that time was laying waste with flames the country of the Lycians.

			Bellerophon was victor, and escaped, but after the creation of the spring, as he was attempting to fly to heaven, and had almost reached it, he became terrified looking down at the earth, and fell off and was killed. But the horse is said to have flown up and to have been put among the constellations by Jove. Others have said that Bellerophon fled from Argos not because of Antia's accusations, but so as not to hear any more proposals which were distasteful to him, or to be distressed by her entreaties.

			Euripides in his Melanippe, says that Melanippe, daughter of Chiron the Centaur, was once called Thetis. Brought up on Mount Helicon, a girl especially fond of hunting, she was wooed by Aeolus, son of Hellen, and grandson of Jove, and conceived a child be him. When her time drew near, she fled into the forest, so that her father, who supposed her a virgin, might not see that she had given birth to a grandchild. And so when her father was looking for her, she is said to have begged the power of the gods not to let her father see her in childbirth. After the child was born, by the will of the gods she was changed into a mare which was placed among the stars.

			Some say that she was a prophetess, and because she used to reveal the plans of the gods to men, she was changed into a mare. Callimachus says that because she ceased hunting and worshipping Diana, Diana changed her into the shape we have mentioned. For the reason above, too, she is said to be out of sight of the Centaur, who come say is Chiron, and to show only half her body, since she didn't want her sex to be known. (Mary Ward 1960)</blockquote>

	===== Ptolemy's Almagest =====		===== Ptolemy's Almagest =====

Dorvic: /* Aratos' Wording */

2025-05-02T06:09:21Z

Aratos' Wording

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:09, 2 May 2025
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	'''Euripides''', on the other hand, identifies the horse with Hippe, the daughter of the wise centaur Cheiron, who wanted to hide her pregnancy from her father. Even after being transformed into a horse, she hides her abdomen, which is why only the horse's upper body is visible. Moreover, she is never in the sky at the same time as the centaur because she is hiding from him.		'''Euripides''', on the other hand, identifies the horse with Hippe, the daughter of the wise centaur Cheiron, who wanted to hide her pregnancy from her father. Even after being transformed into a horse, she hides her abdomen, which is why only the horse's upper body is visible. Moreover, she is never in the sky at the same time as the centaur because she is hiding from him.

	===== ~~Aratos' Wording~~ =====		===== Aratus =====
	...		<blockquote>[205] Now the monster Horse is actually pinned to her head by its lower belly: there shines a star that is common to its navel and the head at her extremity. The three other stars mark off lines of equal length upon the flanks and shoulders of the Horse; [210] they are beautiful and bright. Its head is not at all comparable, nor its neck, though it is long. But the end star on its shining mouth could well rival the former four, which outline it so very conspicuously. But it is no quadruped; at its navel edge [215] the sacred Horse is halved in the middle as it goes round. This was the Horse, they say, that from the heights of Helicon produced the good water of fertilising Hippocrene. The summit of Helicon was not then flowing with streams, but the Horse struck it, and from that very spot a flood of water [220] gushed out at the stroke of its forefoot; the shepherds were the first to call that draught the Horse’s Spring. So the water wells out of a rock, and you can see it never far from the men of Thespiae; but the Horse revolves in the realm of Zeus and you may view it there.

	===== Eratosthenes~~' Wording~~ =====		(Kidd 1997)</blockquote>

			===== Eratosthenes =====
	<blockquote>You can only see half of it, with only the front part visible, up to the navel. According to Aratos this is the horse of Helicon, who, with a blow from his hoof the spring that is now called the ‘Spring of the Horse’ (Hippocrene). However, according to others, it was Pegasus, the horse that flew up to the stars after the fall of Bellerophon; nevertheless, some people find this interpretation not very credible, given that the figure does not wings. As for Euripides, in his Melanippe, that among the stars it is Hippe, the daughter of Chiron. It is said that she was brought up on the Pelion, practised hunting, and devoted herself to the observation and study of nature. Aeolus abused her and raped her, but she was for a time to conceal the fact; but when it became obvious, because of the roundness of her belly, she fled to the mountains. She was about to give birth when her father went into the mountains to look for her. When she was discovered, she prayed to the gods to be metamorphosed and transformed into a horse so that she would not be recognised. So she was transformed into a horse and gave birth to a foal. Also, because of her piety and that of her father, she was placed by Artemis among the constellations, and this is why it was impossible for the Centaur to see her; it is said, in fact, that the Centaur is none other than Chiron. Hippe's posterior parts are invisible, precisely so that we do not know that she is female.		<blockquote>You can only see half of it, with only the front part visible, up to the navel. According to Aratos this is the horse of Helicon, who, with a blow from his hoof the spring that is now called the ‘Spring of the Horse’ (Hippocrene). However, according to others, it was Pegasus, the horse that flew up to the stars after the fall of Bellerophon; nevertheless, some people find this interpretation not very credible, given that the figure does not wings. As for Euripides, in his Melanippe, that among the stars it is Hippe, the daughter of Chiron. It is said that she was brought up on the Pelion, practised hunting, and devoted herself to the observation and study of nature. Aeolus abused her and raped her, but she was for a time to conceal the fact; but when it became obvious, because of the roundness of her belly, she fled to the mountains. She was about to give birth when her father went into the mountains to look for her. When she was discovered, she prayed to the gods to be metamorphosed and transformed into a horse so that she would not be recognised. So she was transformed into a horse and gave birth to a foal. Also, because of her piety and that of her father, she was placed by Artemis among the constellations, and this is why it was impossible for the Centaur to see her; it is said, in fact, that the Centaur is none other than Chiron. Hippe's posterior parts are invisible, precisely so that we do not know that she is female.

Sushoff at 18:58, 20 April 2025

2025-04-20T18:58:09Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:58, 20 April 2025
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	[[File:Pegasus IAU.svg\|alt=star chart\|thumb\|Peg star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).]]		[[File:Pegasus IAU.svg\|alt=star chart\|thumb\|Peg star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).]]
	One of the [[:Category:88_IAU-Constellations\|88 IAU constellations]]. The ancient Greek constellation has always been called The Horse (without wings). However, the mythology associated with it has simultaneously always left Pegasus, the winged horse, as one of several options.		One of the [[:Category:88_IAU-Constellations\|88 IAU constellations]]. The ancient Greek constellation has always been called The Horse (without wings). However, the mythology associated with it has simultaneously always left Pegasus, the winged horse, as one of several options. Scholars suspect that the constellation has Phoenician origin<ref>Condos, T. (1997), Star Myths ofthe Greeks and Romans: A Sourcebook, Phanes Press, Grand Rapids, page 154.</ref> or originated from a pun or misunderstanding of a Babylonian term in the Mycaenian<ref name=":1" /> culture.

	==Etymology and History==		==Etymology and History==
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	The Babylonian constellation<ref name=":0" /> in this area of the sky was the quadrilateral (the one that is now called the 'autumn square' among amateur astronomers of Europe and North America). The Babylonian quadrilateral has the technical name [[IKU]] ("One Field"), an area measure for arable land similar to our hectare. It is also considered the seat of Ea, a god of wisdom and magic (he is depicted in the constellation [[Aquarius]], Mesopotamian [[GU.LA]], The Giant).		The Babylonian constellation<ref name=":0" /> in this area of the sky was the quadrilateral (the one that is now called the 'autumn square' among amateur astronomers of Europe and North America). The Babylonian quadrilateral has the technical name [[IKU]] ("One Field"), an area measure for arable land similar to our hectare. It is also considered the seat of Ea, a god of wisdom and magic (he is depicted in the constellation [[Aquarius]], Mesopotamian [[GU.LA]], The Giant).

	In this case, too, the Greek constellation, which dates back to archaic times, could go back to the Babylonian model: The Sumerian loanword ‘IKU’ sounds very similar (almost homophonous) to the word for horse in the Mycenaean dialect of Greek: ‘Iqo’.<ref>Aratus & Kidd, D. (1997), Aratus: Phaenomena, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (UK), page 258.</ref><ref>McHugh, J. (2016), `How Cuneiform Puns Inspired Some of the Bizarre Greek Constellations and Asterisms', Archaeoastronomy and Ancient Technologies 4/2, 69--100.</ref><ref>Kechagias, A.-E. and Hoffmann, S.M. (2022). Intercultural Misunderstandings as possible source of ancient constellations. in: Hoffmann and Wolfschmidt (eds.). Astronomy in Culture – Cultures of Astronomy, tredition Hamburg/ OpenScienceTechnology Berlin, 205-235</ref> Coupled with the ambiguity of the obsolete Mesopotamian vocabulary, this could easily have led to a (deliberate or inadvertent) reinterpretation.		In this case, too, the Greek constellation, which dates back to archaic times, could go back to the Babylonian model: The Sumerian loanword ‘IKU’ sounds very similar (almost homophonous) to the word for horse in the Mycenaean dialect of Greek: ‘Iqo’.<ref name=":1">Aratus & Kidd, D. (1997), Aratus: Phaenomena, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (UK), page 258.</ref><ref>McHugh, J. (2016), `How Cuneiform Puns Inspired Some of the Bizarre Greek Constellations and Asterisms', Archaeoastronomy and Ancient Technologies 4/2, 69--100.</ref><ref>Kechagias, A.-E. and Hoffmann, S.M. (2022). Intercultural Misunderstandings as possible source of ancient constellations. in: Hoffmann and Wolfschmidt (eds.). Astronomy in Culture – Cultures of Astronomy, tredition Hamburg/ OpenScienceTechnology Berlin, 205-235</ref> Coupled with the ambiguity of the obsolete Mesopotamian vocabulary, this could easily have led to a (deliberate or inadvertent) reinterpretation.

	===Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation===		===Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation===