Return your attention to Enif, the Nose of Pegasus look past Equuleus, the Foal and find the little constellation Delphinus, the Dolphin. The final creature of the celestial sea is not found in The Water itself. Above Eridanus swims sprawling Cetus, the Sea Monster (or Whale). Much of this ancient river lies out of sight below the horizon at this time of year. Cetacean ConstellationsĪt lower left flows a large bend of the River Eridanus. This unusual creature with the head of a goat and tail of a fish has mythological origins dating back more than 4,000 years. Below and to the right of Aquarius is another denizen of The Water: Capricornus, the Sea Goat. Aquarius is often depicted as pouring water from an urn down into the fish’s “mouth” (Fomalhaut). One translation of Fomalhaut is “the mouth of the southern fish.” Aquarius and CapricornusĪbove Fomalhaut are the stars of Aquarius, the Water Bearer. It’s by far the brightest star in the otherwise dim constellation Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish, and the third member of our Sky Map’s fishy trio (Fish #3). Starting again at the Great Square, gaze down past the Circlet to the bright star Fomalhaut. In this way, mother and son will never be parted. In Greek mythology, the fish represent Aphrodite and her son Eros, joined together with ropes at The Vee. This line leads upward to the second fish (Fish #2) of the Pisces twosome. From the Circlet, follow a long, dim arc of stars to the left until it meets a sparse line of stars coming down from above at The Vee. It’s the head of the first fish (Fish #1) on our tour, one of two scaly swimmers that make up the constellation Pisces, the Fishes. Look immediately below the Great Square for a small pentagon of dim stars called the Circlet. Now we can dive more deeply into The Water. There’s never been any word on whether Equuleus inherited his father’s ability to fly! The Three Fishes Just off the nose of Pegasus is his offspring, Equuleus, the Foal. Due to his unusual father, Pegasus can be considered a seahorse as well as a flying horse! How can a horse, flying or not, be a part of the sky’s water world? In Greek mythology, Pegasus is the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, who just happens to be the horse god as well. Pegasus’s neck and head arc from the lower right corner of the Great Square, ending in the star Enif (Nose). He’s flying upside down from our point of view, but the distinctive Great Square that comprises his body is easy to find. High in the south lies Pegasus, the Winged Horse. Note: You’ll need to do your star gazing from a very dark location to see many of the sights described here. Advertisement Just click here or on the image below to open the printable map-then bring outside!
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