The warm nights surrounding July 12 present a golden opportunity to hunt for the three bright stars that form the famous “Summer Triangle” asterism in the northern hemisphere night sky.
Each of the Summer Triangle’s three prominent stars — Vega, Deneb and Altair — belong to a different constellation in the night sky and will be among the first twinkling lights to appear as the glow of the setting sun gives way to darkness in the coming months.
The blue supergiant star Deneb can be found shining above the eastern horizon in the hours following sunset in July, forming the tail of the great swan represented by the constellation Cygnus. Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, will be visible to its upper right, forming the apex of the triangle, while Altair — the most dazzling of the three stellar bodies — will twinkle to the lower right of the pair in the constellation Aquila.
Whilst their brightness makes them fairly easy to spot with the naked eye, inexperienced stargazers may want to enlist the aid of a smartphone astronomy app to help pinpoint the locations of the stars and their constellations in the night sky.
Each evening will see the stars of the Summer Triangle embark on a lazy journey through the night sky, travelling overhead from their sunset position above the eastern horizon to end the night in the western sky as dawn breaks, hiding them from view.
Our view of the Summer Triangle will become all the more spectacular on the nights surrounding the new moon phase on July 24, at which time the bright ribbon of light from the Milky Way may be visible from dark sky areas, tumbling directly through the cosmic triangle.
TOP TELESCOPE PICK
Want to see the Summer Triangle? The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. For a more in-depth look at our Celestron NexStar 4SE review.
Skywatchers looking to make the most of those warm summer stargazing sessions should check out our guides to the top telescopes and binoculars for exploring the wonders of the post-sunset realm. Photographers looking to upgrade their gear should also read up on the best lenses and cameras for astrophotography.
Editor’s Note: If you would like to take a picture of the Summer Triangle and want to share it with Space.com’s readers, then please send your photo(s), name, comments and location to spacephotos@space.com.
