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Ephemeris: 09/19/23 – How to find Pegasus in the sky

September 19, 2023 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, September 19th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 20 minutes, setting at 7:46, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:27. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 9:39 this evening.

Looking eastward at around 9 pm, one of the great constellations of autumn. A season that will start in four days. It is Pegasus the flying horse of Greek myth. Its most visible feature is a large square of four stars, now standing on one corner. This feature, called the Great Square of Pegasus, represents the front part of the horse’s body. The horse is quite aerobatic, because it is seen flying upside down. Remembering that fact, the neck and head is a bent line of stars emanating from the right corner star of the square. Its front legs can be seen in a gallop extending to the upper right from the top star of the square. From the left star extend, not hind legs but the constellation of Andromeda, the princess rescued with the help of Pegasus.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Pegasus-Andromeda finder
Pegasus & Andromeda animated finder chart for 9 pm tonight, September 19th. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.