'Summer Triangle' of three stars to mark the beginning of summer. Here's how to spot it
Summer Triangle
The eastern sky is all set to throw hints that summer has officially begun. A group of distinct stars called the Summer Triangle is all set to make an elaborate appearance in the night sky.
The Summer Triangle is seen as a sign of the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere (where it is known as the Winter Triangle) by astronomers. The Summer Triangle also acts as a cue to spot the Milky Way if you are under dark skies this season.
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Though a pattern of three stars, the Summer Triangle is not a constellation, but an asterism which is a simple pattern formed by stars from different constellations. It includes one bright star from each of three constellations- Vega in Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus and Altair in Aquila.
How to spot Summer Triangle in the night sky?
Among the three stars in the triad, Vega is the easiest one to spot. After the Summer Triangle rises in the east, the Vega is the first one to become visible. It is one of the most famous and brightest stars because it is large and quite close to the Earth at only 25 light-years away.
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Rising below and to the right of Vega on the horizon is Altair, the 12th brightest star in the night sky. Like Vega, it is bright because it is close, a mere 17 light-yearsfrom Earth. Like Vega, Altair is about twice the mass and radius of the sun.
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The third star, Deneb is a bit different when it comes to its spotting and composition. It is the 19th brightest star in the night sky but is much farther away than Vega and Altair- at 2,600 light years away.
Deneb is so bright because it is a supergiant star which is 20 times the mass and around 200 times the radius of the sun. It is one of the farther stars that can be seen with the naked eye.
The Summer Triangle is worth spotting and following throughout the summer. It will be situated across a rich field of the Milky Way, so if you're in a dark sky park or anywhere with low levels of light pollution, find the Summer Triangle, and you will see the Milky Way running through it.
(With inputs from agencies)