How To Spot The Summer Triangle Of Stars In The Sky

An annual cosmic phenomenon known as the Summer Triangle has once again appeared in the sky as the summer season rolls in. This is a cosmic pattern that’s formed by three stars from different constellations.

For regions within the mid-northern latitudes, the Summer Triangle usually appears during the summer season. In eastern skies, this cosmic pattern becomes visible during spring.

Although the Summer Triangle appears as a prominent pattern in the sky, it is not considered as a constellation. Instead, it is classified as an asterism, which is simply a known pattern or group of stars that appear in the sky. In order to be a constellation, it has to be officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union.

The Summer Triangle is formed by three different stars. One of these is Vega, which belongs to the Lyra constellation. This star appears as a bluish-white stellar object and serves as the peak of the cosmic triangle.

Slightly below Vega is a white-colored star known as Deneb of the Cygnus constellation. Completing the triangle is the yellow-white star called Altair, which is located in the Aquila constellation.

From Earth, the brightness of the three stars varies mainly due to their distance from the planet. Vega, for instance, lies about 25 light-years from Earth, while Altair is around 16.7 light-years away. Deneb, on the other hand, is located about 1,550 light-years from Earth’s neighborhood, Space.com reported.

According to NASA, the region within the Summer Triangle is home to some of the most significant discoveries in space.

“The Summer Triangle region is home to many important astronomical discoveries,” NASA stated. “Cygnus X-1, the first confirmed black hole, was initially detected here by x-ray equipment on board a sounding rocket launched in 1964.”

“NASA’s Kepler Mission, which revolutionized our understanding of exoplanets, discovered thousands of planet candidates within its initial field of view in Cygnus,” the agency added. “The Dumbbell Nebula (M27), the first planetary nebula discovered, was spotted by Charles Messier in the diminutive constellation Vulpecula way back in 1764!”

To spot the Summer Triangle, skywatchers should turn their attention to the eastern horizon at near midnight, which is the usual time when the stellar pattern emerges. From here, they’ll be able to spot the pattern by identifying one or a couple of the home constellations of the triangle’s stars.

This year, the Summer Triangle is expected to be visible from Earth until September.