SkyHunt: June 2001

Exploring the Summer Triangle

A grouping of constellations in the sky called the Summer Triangle has been helping beginners learn the summer sky for ages. On star charts, it’s essentially a triangle drawn between the three brightest stars of the summer sky in three different constellations.

The first star—Deneb—is part of the constellation Cygnus, the Swan. Cygnus is also known as the Northern Cross because of its distinctive shape. It’s also the direction in which the first black hole was discovered.

Vega—the brightest star in the summer sky and the second star in the Summer Triangle—is part of the small, boxy constellation Lyra, the Harp. Lyra itself contains a deep sky object called the Ring Nebula. The tiny smoke-ring—visible at high magnification through a 3" or bigger telescope—is actually the leftovers of a shockwave from a dying star that went nova.

Altair, the third star is at the apex of the imaginary triangle that anchors the constellation Aquila, the Eagle. And right smack dab in the middle of the Summer Triangle is the beautiful double star Albireo.

Where to find it
Look for the constellations of the Summer Triangle in the eastern sky in mid-June at about 10 p.m. All the three brightest stars should be visible on a clear night, as well as some of the other stars in the constellations.

Get the gear
In order to see the Ring Nebula and many of the other glorious deep sky objects in this region, consider investing in a reflector-style telescope, such as a Dobsonian. Because many such objects are very dim, the larger the diameter of telescope the better.

Important tip:
Getting away for the city lights will make all the difference in what you can see—driving just 30 minutes north is like having twice as large a telescope… so get out of town!