✧ Great Square The Great Square is an asterism in Pegasus. •⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⣄⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⡀ ⡇ ⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠙⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒• ⢠⠇ ⢸ ⢸ ⢸ ⡼ ⢸ ⡇ ⢸ ⢠⠇ ⢸⡀ ⢸ ⡇ ⡼ ⡇ ⡇ ⡇ ⢠⠇ ⡇ ⢸ ⡇ •⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤• Type Asterism Constellation Pegasus Stars 4 More information about Great Square The Great Square is large, obvious, and almost completely empty inside. Counting how many stars you can see within it is a standard rough test of how dark your sky is, and in a town the honest answer is usually none at all. The square is the body of Pegasus, the winged horse, except that one of its four corners is not in Pegasus at all. Alpheratz, the north-eastern one, was claimed by both Pegasus and Andromeda for centuries, until the International Astronomical Union drew fixed borders around all 88 constellations in 1930 and put the star in Andromeda. Etymology From English Reading the Great Square Literally the great square The evolution of Great Square over time -50,000 years Alpheratz ⢠•⠤⢄⣀ ⡜ ⠉⠑⠒⠤⢄⣀⡀ ⢠⠃ ⠉⠑⠒⠦⢄⣀⡀ ⡜ ⠉⠑⠒⠦⠤⣀⡀ ⢰⠃ ⠉⠉⠒⠦⠤⣀⡀ ⡞ ⠈⠉⠒⠢⠤⣀⡀ ⢰⠁ ⠈⢹• Scheat ⡎ ⢸ ⢰⠁ ⡇ ⡎ ⢠⠇ ⢰⠁ ⢸ ⡇ ⡎ ⢸ ⡇ ⡇ ⢸ ⢸ ⡼ ⡇ ⡇ ⡸ ⢰⠁ ⢀⠇ ⢸ ⣸⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤• Markab • Algenib now Alpheratz ⢰•⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⢄⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⡀ ⡸ ⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠑⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠦⠤⠤⠤⡄ ⡇ • Scheat ⢰⠃ ⡇ ⢸ ⡇ ⡎ ⡇ ⡇ ⡇ ⢸ ⢳ ⣸ ⢸ ⡇ ⢸ ⢀⠇ ⢸ ⢸ ⢸ ⡞ ⢸ ⡇ ⢸ ⢰⠁ ⡇ ⢸ ⡇ ⠧⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⢄⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⣀⡇ • Algenib • Markab +50,000 years ⢀⣀⣀⢤ ⢀⣀⣀⠤⠤⠔⠒⠊⠉⠉ • Scheat ⢀⣀⣀⠤⠤⠔⠒⠊⠉⠉ ⠈⡇ Alpheratz ⢀⣀⣀⠤⠤⠔⠒⠚⠉⠉ ⢣ ⢰•⠉⠉ ⢸ ⠈⡆ ⡇ ⡇ ⢣ ⡇ ⢸ ⡇ ⡇ ⡇ ⢣ ⡇ ⢸ ⡇ ⡇ ⡇ ⢣ ⡇ ⢸ ⡇ ⡇ ⡇ ⢣ ⢧ ⢸ ⢸ ⡇ Algenib •⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠉⠑⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤⠤• Markab Over 50,000 years either way the longest side of this figure changes by 5%, and the furthest any of its stars travels is 3.3 degrees. Scheat drifts the opposite way to the other 3, which travel together. Proper motion only: this is the shape changing, not the sky turning or the pole moving. curl 'skymap.sh/Great%20Square/evolution.gif' where it is tonight: skymap.sh/Great Square