Sunday, September 15, 2024

The Summer Triangle (all night)

After dusk in mid-September, the first stars to appear overhead in the darkening sky are Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Those three bright, white stars
form the Summer Triangle asterism - an annual feature of the summer sky that remains visible until the end of December! The brightest and most easterly of the trio is Vega, in Lyra. At magnitude 0.03, Vega is the brightest star in
the summer sky, mainly due to its relative proximity - it's only 25
light-years away from the sun. Magnitude 0.75 Altair, in Aquila, occupies the southern corner of the triangle. Altair is 17 light-years from the sun. By contrast, Deneb, which shines somewhat less brightly at magnitude 1.25 to the east of Vega, is a staggering 2,600 light-years away from us; but it shines
so brightly because of its greater intrinsic luminosity. The Milky Way passes between Vega and Altair and through Deneb. The triangle will set in the west
as dawn begins to break.

(Data Courtesy of Starry Night)
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