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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Homeless feeding questioned Disc golf course coming to Cave Junction park Human remains found in burning trailer Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt Cecil, Stricker to face off again in mayor's race Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Fallen White City firefighter to be honored at national service Barn fire may have been human-caused Emergency services Inmates to get mental health, addiction treatment Missing Medford man found safe in Sweet Home Politics and Elections Cecil, Stricker to face off again in mayor's race Commissioner candidates Talbert, Roberts duel for endorsements Falls: Jackson County sheriff's race isn't over Former sheriff calls Winters' retirement decision 'very wise' Will 'GMO effect' shape election? Education EP school district launches new app Striving to make the grade Fresh produce goes home with Jackson Elementary families State mandates eye exams for kids 7 and younger Eagle Point School District goes silent on gun issue Environment Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt Josephine County ballot measure would ban commercial and government pesticide use Low water exposes Emigrant Lake's past Wagner Creek work would restore streambank Deer-killing disease won't taint meat for hunters State news Nation - World Obituaries Calvin Schaefer Norma Mae Prilliman Elizabeth Anne Jones Jesse Jay Gilchrist Lorraine Antcha Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Ashland drops MWL boys match to Churchill Hay rallies Pirates past Henley Gadget play gives Grizz win over Comets GP dashes North’s hopes South rebounds with rout of Roseburg Varsity 541 College Sports Stanford cruises past Washington State High stakes for No. 12 Oregon, No. 18 UCLA Raider men win handily Raiders shut out Eastern Oregon Georgia star Gurley suspended for alleged violation Pro Sports Gordon-led Royals beat Orioles 8-6 in ALCS Donovan hits post in US swan song Birdie binge puts Laird in front at Frys.com Giants-Cards: Here we go again in NLCS Colts hold on for 33-28 win over Texans Community Sports Business Latest Stories Ranchers offer livestock exchange Lithia buys Clovis dealership Blog: When Life Gives You Lemons... Medford airport has busiest September ever County hopes to spur renewable energy Real Estate News Lithia buys Clovis dealership Rental vacancies increase Jackson County real estate sales, prices continue rebound Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Medford's Pixel Productions moves to new quarters People In Business Transportation Lithia buys Clovis dealership Agriculture Ranchers offer livestock exchange 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Opinion Latest Election Letters, Oct.11 Another View: Congress must act on firefighting budget Letters to the Editor, Oct. 10 Matthew T. Mangino: Trials, pleas and the burden of proof: A search for justice Our View: Talbert is the right choice for commissioner Editorials Another View: Congress must act on firefighting budget Our View: Talbert is the right choice for commissioner Our View: Cheers and Jeers Our View: Measure 86 would allow a prudent investment Our View: Top-two primary would empower more voters Letters to the Editor Election Letters, Oct.11 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 10 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 9 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 8 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 7 Guest Opinions Mt. Ashland is responding to community concerns Siskiyou Plus Spring Bear Hunt: What lies beneath? Guest Opinion: Who's to blame for 2014 wildfires? Guest Opinion: Measure 91 will snuff out local tax measures Is Ashland taking over Jackson County elections? Lifestyle Latest stories Nibbling away at the Earth Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! Name that wolf Community blog: Battered, fried bhaji bring street food to the table Food Community blog: Battered, fried bhaji bring street food to the table Community blog: Kicking it off, a game, a season, or a pint (How about all the above?) Apples and pears make great autumn duo Community blog: Cardamom makes proverbial pairing with pears New owners bring new philosophy at 2Hawk Home and Garden How to create a fashionable painted floor cloth Dear Monty: 7 prepping tips for home showings Harvest your frost-tender tomatoes for storage Fall is a good time to plant certain perennials Start now for a bowl of winter sunshine Health Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! Community blog: Listen Like You Mean it! Dr. Murray Feingold: Take precautions to prevent home accidents Health Watch: Make TV time workout time Community blog: Do We Need Steps For Health? Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Religion briefs First Church of Nazarene plans cleanup Religion briefs Milestones and Achievements New Arrivals Still stifling laughter 40 years after 'Young Frankenstein' New Arrivals Wedding New Arrivals Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Agave offers tasty tacos Call for musicians Works in progress A stylish take on baroque Southern Oregon Music Festival returns to downtown Medford Theater Randall Theatre presents 'Blithe Spirit' A tribute to a great lyricist 'Mrs. Mannerly' is a matter of manners There's no accounting for poor manners Friends of Jim Giancarlo remember Ashland theater icon Music Benefit for Nita Day at The Wild Goose Cafe in Ashland Call for musicians A stylish take on baroque Southern Oregon Music Festival returns to downtown Medford Rogue Valley Symphony season debut combines virtuosity, emotion Community Events Works in progress Southern Oregon Pride Festival celebrates diversity Greater Medford Multicultural Fair Volunteers needed for Downtown Art + Sound Medford's Third Fridays Dining Agave offers tasty tacos Asian cuisine for all seasons at Misoya Bistro Spoons 'Get Giddy' at Porters Jacksonville's Thai House is everything good Thai should be Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Human remains found in burning trailer ... Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt ... Fallen White City firefighter to be honored at national service ... Human remains found in burning trailer ... Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt ... Fallen White City firefighter to be honored at national service ... Looking Up: See the Great Baseball Diamond MailTribune.com Writer Posted Oct. 10, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Oct. 10, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News By Peter Becker More Content Now Baseball lovers must love the stars on autumn evenings. After all, rising in the east is what one might imagine as a great, celestial baseball diamond. The Great Square of Pegasus is on its way up, and as seen from mid-northern latitudes, it looks something like a big baseball diamond balancing on one corner. The pitcher’s mound, in fact, is marked by a couple stars, though off-center. This "great square" is more of a large rectangle and is not an officially named constellation. It is actually an overlapping of parts of two constellations. One of the stars is in the constellation Andromeda, a mythological maiden, and three are part of Pegasus, the Flying Horse. Not that this makes any difference to the stars. The players of this celestial "baseball diamond" are definitely an all-star team. The Andromeda team is playing against the Pegasus team. Neither are from Houston. As seen rising in the east, the star at far left may as well be home plate. Up to bat is the star Alpheratz, otherwise known as Alpha Andromadae. Who’s on first? Algenib, or Gamma Pegasi. Who’s on second? Markab, or Alpha Pegasi. Who’s on third? The star Scheat, also known as Beta Pegasi. This is a night game, by the way. Just keep the field lights off so you can see the stars, please. Several stars making up the rest of Pegasus are in "in field" (star field?). The end star, in "out field" is Enif (Epsilon Pegasi). It appears Enif has missed catching the ball. Only a few degrees away from this conspicuous star is a bright globular cluster, M15, which is easily seen in binoculars. A globular cluster are described as a great ball of stars, packed near one another. The rest of Alpheratz’s team spreads out to the left from the Great Square of Pegasus. The constellation Andromeda has many interesting stars, notably the bright orange one at far left, Almach (Gamma Andromedae). In a backyard telescope, you can find where the bat boy hangs out. Almach is a double star, easily discerned with moderate magnification, and its companion star is notably fainter and greenish-blue. It is one of the finest double stars in the heavens. Mirach (Beta Andromadae) is another prominent player. One of the stars on the Andromeda team, Nu, seems distracted, with his head in the clouds. Situated just above the star Nu is the wonderful hazy patch visible with unaided eyes if you have a reasonably dark sky. This is the famed Andromeda Galaxy, M31, a giant spiral galaxy similar to our own Milky Way and a mere 2.2 million light years away. Definitely train your binoculars this way. So where’s the pitcher? Maybe Aquarius will step up the mound. He’s the mythological water-bearer, often referred to as carrying a pitcher (of water). This constellation is immediately right of Pegasus, rising in the southeast during the evening, this time of year. For spectators we have a strange assortment, but maybe not any more than at some big games. Equuleus the Little Horse is nearby,. the coach for our Pegasus team. So who’s the ump? Maybe Cepheus, since the king usually gives the orders. Never mind in mythology, he’s Andromeda’s dad. The two faint stars that mark our "pitcher’s mound" require a reasonably dark sky to see easily. Be sure to learn to identify the Great Square, an important celestial "landmark." A knowledge of the Great Square of Pegasus once saved the lives of Donald Baxter MacMillan (1874-1970), the arctic explorer, and his companions, when they were lost on the polar ice. Last-quarter moon is on Oct. 15. Keep looking up! 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