This week is a great time to check out the Summer Triangle, one of the best-known asterisms in the northern sky.

Credit: Giuseppe Donatiello/Flickr

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This week is a great time to check out the Summer Triangle, one of the best-known asterisms in the northern sky. An asterism is an unofficial pattern of stars that isn’t one of the 88 officially recognized constellations that cover the sky.

The Summer Triangle gets its name from the fact that it’s visible all night during summertime in the Northern Hemisphere. Now, it’s finally visible after sunset, rising in the east as night falls.

The Summer Triangle is made up of three bright blue stars: Deneb (magnitude 1.3) in Cygnus, Altair (magnitude 0.8) in Aquila, and Vega (magnitude 0) in Lyra. Starting at Vega, Altair sits 35° to the southeast. From Altair, look 38° north to Deneb, which also sits east of Vega.

The region inside (and just outside) of the Summer Triangle is full of deep-sky wonders. Highlights include the North America Nebula in Cygnus, the famous Double Double Star (Epsilon Lyrae) in Lyra, and the planetary nebula NGC 6781 in Aquila.

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