Constellations appear in baseball-diamond shape

Constellations appear in baseball-diamond shape

The overlapping constellations Andromeda and Pegasus resemble two teams playing each other, with Andromeda at bat and Pegasus on the field.

Just in time for the fall baseball playoffs, the night sky is providing quite a show for baseball fans. After the end of an evening game, enthusiasts of the sports can look up and see a huge baseball diamond far above the field.

Viewed best from mid-northern latitudes, the Great Square of Pegasus greatly resembles a baseball diamond. Marking the pitcher’s mound are two slightly off-center stars.

Baseball lovers may argue that the square is more of a rectangle, while astronomers will argue that it’s not actually a single named constellation. In fact, the celestial baseball diamond in the sky is actually an overlapping of two separate constellations. One part of the diamond is part of the Andromeda constellation, named after the mythological maiden; the other three corners are part of Pegasus, the mythological flying horse.

The stars surrounding the diamond resemble players on a celestial team, with Andromeda up to bat against Pegasus. At the bat is Alpheratz, also known as Alpha Andromedae. Manning first base is Algenib, otherwise known as Gamma Pegasi. Markab, or Alpha Pegas, is watching second base, while Scheat, also known as Beta Pegasi, is the third baseman.

Pegasus also has a number of more distant stars that appear to be in the outfield, with Enif (Epsilon Pegasi) the farthest away. Close to Enif is a tightly packed globular cluster called M15 that resembles a dropped ball which Enif has failed to catch.

Team Andromeda has spread out along the sides of the dugout, waiting for their turns at bat. Bright orange Almach (Gamma Andromedae) and slightly fainter Mirach (Beta Andromedae) are both cheering on Alpheratz. Nu, another Andromeda star, appears slightly distracted- perhaps watching the beautiful Andromeda M31 spiral galaxy just above him.

If you’re both a baseball fan and astronomy lover, be sure to check out the game tonight between Andromeda and Pegasus. You wouldn’t want to miss it for this world.

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