Pegasus Galaxy

[Aer'ki]

I was just doing some research for my fanfic and I looked up a map of the real life local galaxies...and I discovered that the Pegasus galaxy is very far away from the MW. There are many between Pegasus and MW. There is no possible way a gate bridge could reach there.

So my question is...is Pegasus the Ancients' name for sagittarius (probably misspelled) which is in the approximate location of Pegasus as seen on Atlantis, or did the writers really mean it to be the galaxy we call Pegasus in real life? Because if it is...they really screwed up again.

[Quadhelix]

I was just doing some research for my fanfic and I looked up a map of the real life local galaxies...and I discovered that the Pegasus galaxy is very far away from the MW. There are many between Pegasus and MW. There is no possible way a gate bridge could reach there.

Really, because the Pegasus Dwarf Irregular Galaxy is almost exactly 3 million light-years away, just like the Pegasus in Stargate.

And while, yes, there are many galaxies closer than Pegasus, none of them are actually between Pegasus and Milky Way.

[escyos]

yea i think there are two pegasus galaxies, one is the dwarf one in SGA and there is another larger one further out

[Quadhelix]

yea i think there are two pegasus galaxies, one is the dwarf one in SGA and there is another larger one further out

There are two Pegasus galaxies, but both are dwarf galaxies.

The Pegasus Dwarf Irregular Galaxy is about 3.0 million light-years away and is about 4,000 light-years across (compared to the Milky Way's >100,000 light-years).

The Pegasus Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy, on the other hand, is 2.7 million light-years away and is about 3,000 light-years across.


Note, however, that despite being closer, the Pegasus Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy is not "between" the Milky Way and the Pegasus Dwarf Irregular Galaxy, as they are in different parts of the constellation Pegasus.

[Ouroboros]

Makes you wonder why the ancients didn't just go to Andromeda, unless it's full of Wraith or something worse.

[dahok]

Makes you wonder why the ancients didn't just go to Andromeda, unless it's full of Wraith or something worse.

It could be to avoid any similarities with the Andromeda TV series. The main starship was called the Andromeda, and some of the locations were set in that same galaxy.

Story wise, maybe the Ori would expect them to move to the largest nearby galaxy and try to exterminate them there.

[Aer'ki]

Really, because the Pegasus Dwarf Irregular Galaxy is almost exactly 3 million light-years away, just like the Pegasus in Stargate.

And while, yes, there are many galaxies closer than Pegasus, none of them are actually between Pegasus and Milky Way.

My point is that the diagrams and visual perspectives on SGA have the galaxies being about 2 or three diameters away from each other. Now, there is a galaxy in real life close to that distance away, but its not Pegasus.

Think back to the Midway views where you can see both the MW and Pegasus as the shot pans around. This gives you an idea of the distance involved, and its not much.

Also, the Ancients' name for a galaxy is not going to be the same as ours. So the idea that Pegasus is actually Pegasus isn't very likely. But since the name is in mythology, it can be construed as having come from a real source. So, since there is a galaxy in the approximate location of Pegasus as seen on SGA my point stands. Is it sagittarius? Or is SGA using a fictious galaxy?

[guppy338]

maby Andromeda is the ori home

[thekillman]

nope. they built supergates as hyperspace travel took too long. seeing as they reached ida really fast, and Ida is approx 4 million light years away, they have intergalactic hyperdrives. andromeda would take mere days for them. so, nope, that's out of the window. ori live somewhere at the other end of the Local Cluster.

[Exthalion]

If there were any galaxy close enough so that you could see it the way they do at Midway then we would be able to see it with the naked eye on earth. It would be larger then a fist.

[Quadhelix]

My point is that the diagrams and visual perspectives on SGA have the galaxies being about 2 or three diameters away from each other.

My best answer is that the diagrams are not to scale (as is usually the case with such diagrams).

Now, there is a galaxy in real life close to that distance away, but its not Pegasus.

We know from "The Return" that the Pegasus galaxy in Stargate is 3 million light years away:

"The Return" (SGA 3x10)

O’NEILL: He’s late.

LANDRY: When travelling almost three million light years, I’m not so sure there’s such a thing as “late”!

Think back to the Midway views where you can see both the MW and Pegasus as the shot pans around. This gives you an idea of the distance involved, and its not much.

Let us pretend, for a second, that the "Pegasus" galaxy in Stargate Atlantis is the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy. Sagittarius is apparently about 50,000 light-years from the core of the Milky Way. The Milky Way's diameter is 100,000 light-years. This means that the only reason that Sagittarius isn't part of the Milky Way is because it is outside the galactic plane. Indeed, it would not surprise me at all if planets in Sagittarius could be reached from Earth by a simple 7-chevron dial.

The main point is that the Milky Way would be absolutely enormous. In this picture, the Milky Way may appear large, but it is nowhere near as large as it would appear if the Midway station were only 50,000 light-years from the galactic core, let alone closer than that.

Also, the Ancients' name for a galaxy is not going to be the same as ours. So the idea that Pegasus is actually Pegasus isn't very likely.

What makes you think that "Pegasus" is the Ancient name for it?

Is it sagittarius? Or is SGA using a fictious galaxy?

No, they're using the Pegasus Dwarf Irregular Galaxy.

BTW, there are two Sagittarius galaxies. One is further away than Pegasus (and thus not the galaxy you mean) and the other is only 65 thousand light-years away, which is far too close to be match the three million mentioned by Landry in "The Return."

[Aer'ki]

My best answer is that the diagrams are not to scale (as is usually the case with such diagrams).




We know from "The Return" that the Pegasus galaxy in Stargate is 3 million light years away:

"The Return" (SGA 3x10)



Let us pretend, for a second, that the "Pegasus" galaxy in Stargate Atlantis is the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy. Sagittarius is apparently about 50,000 light-years from the core of the Milky Way. The Milky Way's diameter is 100,000 light-years. This means that the only reason that Sagittarius isn't part of the Milky Way is because it is outside the galactic plane. Indeed, it would not surprise me at all if planets in Sagittarius could be reached from Earth by a simple 7-chevron dial.

The main point is that the Milky Way would be absolutely enormous. In this picture, the Milky Way may appear large, but it is nowhere near as large as it would appear if the Midway station were only 50,000 light-years from the galactic core, let alone closer than that.


What makes you think that "Pegasus" is the Ancient name for it?


No, they're using the Pegasus Dwarf Irregular Galaxy.

BTW, there are two Sagittarius galaxies. One is further away than Pegasus (and thus not the galaxy you mean) and the other is only 65 thousand light-years away, which is far too close to be match the three million mentioned by Landry in "The Return."

If your distances are correct, then why don't we see that satellite galaxy in the night sky? It should be a slightly hazy clump.

And if there is a satellite galaxy around the MW, why didn't they put that in stargate? If you can see the MW from Midway, then why don't see the satellite galaxy...more over, why didn't they take the time to put the other galaxies in view and not the generic starfield...which would not exist from such a perspective.

It's things like this that make me think they just picked a real galaxy at random, took the name and distance, and essentially turned it into a fictious galaxy.

As for the Pegasus name...I don't recall for sure, but I think that name has been used by Ancients or other races that shouldn't know the Earth name. The Wraith come to mind as well.

Also, when Daniel finds the address to Atlantis in the outpost in Antarctica might whatever text he found also mention the name of the galaxy?

[Quadhelix]

If your distances are correct, then why don't we see that satellite galaxy in the night sky? It should be a slightly hazy clump.

Because it is opposite the galactic core, which interferes with observation.

And if there is a satellite galaxy around the MW, why didn't they put that in stargate? If you can see the MW from Midway, then why don't see the satellite galaxy...more over, why didn't they take the time to put the other galaxies in view and not the generic starfield...which would not exist from such a perspective.

Maybe because they were going for an impressive visual and not scientific accuracy. And maybe, too, because the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy would be indistinguishable from the rest of the Milky Way, given that it is basically just a bunch of stars and gas against a background of a bunch of stars and gas.

It's things like this that make me think they just picked a real galaxy at random, took the name and distance, and essentially turned it into a fictious galaxy.

You're just now figuring this out?

For one thing, Pegasus is only 4,000 light-years across. However, in "Adrift," McKay's hyperdrive is said to have a maximum range of about 2,000 light-years. With that sort of range, they could get to just about any planet in Pegasus; even if they were at the very edge of the galaxy, they well over a quarter of all planets in Pegasus. However, the map showing the planets that they can reach with the hyperdrive has less than a dozen planets.

As for the Pegasus name...I don't recall for sure, but I think that name has been used by Ancients or other races that shouldn't know the Earth name. The Wraith come to mind as well.

Quotes or it didn't happen.

Also, when Daniel finds the address to Atlantis in the outpost in Antarctica might whatever text he found also mention the name of the galaxy?

Or, maybe he found out where the address went and checked with an astronomer.

[Lord Excalibar]

ok guys facts aside this is a scifi tv show. anything can happen because it is SCIENCE FICTION

[Stewart5]

I agree with the above
But, point of trivia, isn't Andromeda the closest Galaxy to MW?