The Summer season Triangle and its 3 stars
The Summer season Triangle is the signature star formation within the Northern Hemisphere’s summer season sky. Nonetheless, because the September equinox comes and goes – and because the weeks of autumn start to slip by – you’ll nonetheless discover this well-known trio of stars. So, search for the Summer season Triangle after darkish in early November. It’s going to truly proceed to shine after darkish in November and December, and is even seen nonetheless in January. Search for it tonight within the early night, excessive in your western sky.
By the best way, the Summer season Triangle isn’t a constellation. It’s an asterism, or an apparent sample or group of stars with a preferred identify. In reality, the Summer season Triangle consists of three brilliant stars in three separate constellations. The brilliant star Vega is in Lyra the Harp. Deneb is in Cygnus the Swan. And Altair is in Aquila the Eagle.
Within the month of June – across the June solstice – the Summer season Triangle pops out within the east as darkness falls and shines all evening lengthy. However now – after sundown in November – the Summer season Triangle seems excessive within the western night sky. As night deepens, the Summer season Triangle descends westward, with all three of its stars staying above the horizon till mid-to-late night.
Altair – the Summer season Triangle’s southernmost star – will set round 10 to 11 p.m. tonight at mid-northern latitudes. Discover the place you see the Summer season Triangle at a given time this night. The Summer season Triangle will return to this identical place within the sky some 4 minutes earlier with every passing day, or two hours earlier with every passing month.
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Search for Orion, too
Then because the Summer season Triangle sinks near the western horizon round mid-evening, flip round to see Orion the Hunter – the signpost constellation of winter – rising within the east.
Backside line: Look westward this night for the three good stars of the humongous Summer season Triangle: Vega, Deneb and Altair. In reality, you may nonetheless see the Summer season Triangle via January.
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