Constellation honour for Preston North End shooting star Sir Tom Finney

BBC astronomer Mark Thompson has identified 13 new star formations across the UK, with one visible from Preston, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the outline of Sir Tom’s famous ‘Splash’ photo.

Others identified are said to look like and have subsequently been named after The Beatles, Edinburgh Castle and Humber Bridge.

Rail company TransPennine Express commissioned Mark to do the work ahead of the clocks going back, providing darker nights for stargazers.

Mark said: “Children in the future won’t be trying to spot Orion’s Belt or The Plough, they’ll be stargazing at The Beatles, Alan Shearer and the Humber Bridge.

“It is a great time of year for scanning the night sky, as the darker nights allow for much better visibility. I hope people will take the opportunity to spot the new constellations.”

He added: “As an avid stargazer I took great pleasure in finding these new constellations and working with TransPennine Express, we decided to find ones that would be relevant and have meaning to the people living in cities across the UK.”

Leo Goodwin, managing director of TransPennine Express, said: “We wanted to celebrate all of the cities we serve in the UK and what better way than to give each city their own

constellation that the residents can relate to. Mark’s unrivaled knowledge of the skies has given way to twelve fantastic new constellations.”

To view Sir Tom’s constellation, Mark recommends downloading an app to help pinpoint the stars named in the constellation.

Constellations and where visible from:

1) Sir Tom Finney –Preston

2) Alan Shearer – Newcastle

3) Parmo and Chips – Middlesbrough

4) Manchester Bee –

Manchester

5) The Beatles – Liverpool

6) Viking Helmet – York

7) Scarborough Castle – Scarborough

8) Iron Girder – Sheffield

9) Edinburgh Castle – Edinburgh

10) Humber Bridge – Hull

11) Leeds Ram – Leeds

12) Cutty Sark – visible from Glasgow

13) TransPennine Express Star – Manchester