Friday, September 27, 2024

The Great Square of Pegasus (all night)

Pegasus, which is climbing the Eastern sky during evening in September, contains one of the most recognizeable asterisms in the sky, a giant square
of four similarly bright stars called the Great Square. The square's edges
are about 1.6 fist diameters (or 16 degrees) in length, and it spans two fist widths (about 20 degrees) measured corner to corner. The pattern might remind you of a baseball diamond when you see it, because it's often tilted with one corner downwards. For the Lakota people, the square represented the great
shell of Keya, the Turtle. The Anishinaabe of the Great Lakes region view the square as the torso of Mooz, the Moose. Using unaided eyes only, from the suburbs, the Great Square appears empty. Look carefully for two dim stars offset to the upper right from the centre of the square. They represent the moose's heart.

(Data Courtesy of Starry Night)
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* Origin: CJ's Place, Orange City FL > cjsplace.thruhere.net (954:895/61)