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Welcome to the Astro Minute! I'm Lauren Smyth, and with the help of astronomer and teacher Kelli Smyth, I'll be your tour guide as we explore the secrets of the night sky sixty seconds at a time.
Welcome to the Astro minute, where we’re exploring the universe sixty seconds at a time. I’m Lauren Smyth, and today we are going to locate the Summer Triangle.
The Summer Triangle is an asterism, or a pattern of stars in the sky that contains parts of the 88 defined constellations.
Look overhead in the summer and autumn evening sky for three bright stars making a large triangle. The star on the long point of the Triangle is Altair in the constellation Aquila the Eagle. In one of the other corners is Vega, in the constellation Lyra the Harp. Vega is the easiest to identify is as it is the second brightest star in the northern autumn sky. In the third corner lies Deneb in the constellation Cygnus the Swan. Deneb forms the tip of the Northern Cross, an asterism in the shape of a large cross within the Triangle. The Summer Triangle is a great guidepost for more interstellar exploration!
That’s your astro minute!