THE SOUTHWORTH PLANETARIUM
207-780-4249 www.usm.maine.edu/planet
70 Falmouth Street Portland, Maine 04103
43.6667° N 70.2667° W
Founded January 1970
Julian date: 2457652.16
"Jerry, you tyrant, Angelina Jolie is divorcing Brad Pitt and I
am still expected to write an article today!?!"
*THE DAILY ASTRONOMER*
*Tuesday, September 20, 2016*
*The Winged Horse*
ascends the eastern evening sky as it has done since time out of mind.
Like all the star patterns adorning our celestial tapestry, those
comprising Pegasus assembled long before humans developed the inclination
to fashion chimerical characters out of the strange, randomly arranged
luminescent points. Four distinctive points comprise the main part of
Pegasus. Known as the "Great Square," these four stars form the horse's
body. Two legs, one straight, the other crooked, protrude out of the
northwestern star, Scheat. The curling neck and oblong head jut out from
the southwestern star, Markab. The constrained princess Andromeda is
attached to the square by its northeastern star, Alpheratz. Only the
southeastern star, Algenib, is free of attachments.
The Babylonians might have been the first to have crafted a beast from
this distinctive shape. This grand square seemed perfect for the
construction of a magnificent creature. Though the square, itself, was
obvious, the faint accessory stars could allow for the inclusion of many
different peripheral features. One could perceive a dragon here as readily
as a horse. We've retained the horse in our sky because it was one of
the 48 constellations Greek astronomer Claudius Ptolemy included in his
catalog in the second century.
Pegasus literally arose out of blood and seawater. You see, the ocean god
Poseidon had once had a clandestine affair with the young maid Medusa, who
loved Poseidon devotedly. He did not reciprocate this love, but instead
regarded their many liaisons as amusements. Their last encounter occurred
in the temple of Athena. Poseidon deviously chose this location, himself,
for he knew Athena would regard their actions as a desecration. He
intended it as a calculated insult. Unfortunately,Athena's retribution was
directed only toward Medusa, with devastating results. Athena
disfigured Medusa into the shape of a gorgon: a creature so appalling of
appearance that she could petrify humans and other creatures alike with a
single glance. Horrified by her monstrous form, Medusa threw herself in
the ocean and eventually arrived at the barren rock island inhabited by the
two other gorgons, Stheno and Euryale. Later, Perseus traveled to the
island and slew Medusa by following her reflection in his highly polished
shield. He enclosed the head in a satchel and flew over the sea toward
the African ocean. During the flight, some of Medusa's blood dripped
out of the satchel into the ocean. In a strange -and belated- act of
contrition, Poseidon mixed the blood with sea foam to create Pegasus.
He would claim that in so doing he would embody Medusa's tortured soul in
the beautiful form it rightly deserved.
Although modern re-tellings of this legend often show Pegasus allied with
Perseus, in the original mythology, they had nothing to do with one
another. In fact, Perseus was oblivious to Pegasus's birth, as it had
occurred well after Perseus had flown over the region of the sea where the
blood first spilled. As it was sired without parents, Pegasus was free of
the world from the first moment of its emergence. Some say that Pegasus
was adopted by the nine Muses, who cared for it in its infancy, but never
attempted to tame or restrain it. Through the Muses' influence, Pegasus
grew to be in equal measure fiercely strong and exquisitely beautiful.
Many men sought to capture and bring Pegasus to heel, but to no avail.
She proved too elusive for most people to catch and on the rare occasion
when she was captured, she raged against the apprehension so violently that
the captors hastily relented and freed her.
Only the bold youth Bellerophon managed to capture and tame Pegasus through
the assistance of Athena, who, according to some stories, subdued Pegasus
with a sleeping spell. As she slept, Bellerophon saddled the winged horse
and secured himself on the saddle. Pegasus, feeling the strange weight on
her back, awoke with a start and furiously attempted to buck the youth
away. Bellerophon maintained his grip, albeit with great difficulty.
After a protracted struggle, Pegasus yielded to the young man and became
his horse. Eager for adventure, Bellerophon flew on Pegasus to the
lair of the Chimera, a grotesque beast with the features of a dog, dragon
and bird. Though it proved a formidable foe, the Chimera could not harm
his antagonist who eluded its many attacks while soaring on the winged
horse. Bellerophon slew the Chimera with repeated arrow strikes and
became a celebrated hero as a result.
Unfortunately, like many young and bold men, Bellerophon fell victim to his
own hubris. He one day decided that he wanted to travel to Olympus and
cavort with the gods. He flew Pegasus up to heights approaching even that
of Hyperion's chariot. Sensing their peril, Pegasus rapidly turned
herself upside down and dislodged Bellerophon, who was said to have
plummeted to Earth after a five day descent. Zeus awarded Pegasus by
summoning her up to Olympus, where she was charged with fetching his
thunderbolts. She was also placed in the night sky: an honor the gods
conferred on only a few. One can find her there tonight turned upside
down, as she was when she spent her reckless master to his death.
Now that autumn is precariously close, Pegasus will rise into greater
prominence, only to be soon followed by Taurus, Orion and the retinue of
winter stars. In September and October, one can behold Pegasus soaring
across the night sky from dusk to dawn.