GUIDE TO THE SUMMER CONSTELLATIONS
Author’s Note: I first published article and guide to finding the summer constellations for the Broadreach Boundless Explorer many years ago in 2015. The article and the illustrations I created for it quickly became so popular with those looking to learn how to identify constellations in the summer night sky, that it became the Google authority on how to find them. It drove so much astronomy to the website that they had to remove it because it was affecting their Google search rankings for their site content, so we had to remove it. I wanted to provide the guide again as a helpful resource, so have fun looking up this summer!
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Easy-to-spot summer constellations and asterisms include Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Scorpius and the constellations of the Summer Triangle.
Chances are that this summer you'll be spending a fair amount of time outside in locations that are perfect for stargazing while camping or just out enjoying the warm summer evening. One of my favorite pastimes is being able to look up and identify the constellations, so here’s a handy guide to help you find your way around the summer sky and identify some of the most popular constellations and asterisms if you're in the northern hemisphere.
THE SUMMER TRIANGLE
The stars of the Summer Triangle asterism
The quintessential summer asterism (pattern of stars that is not a constellation) is aptly named the Summer Triangle. Made up of three stars, Vega (the alpha), Deneb and Altair, you can spot Summer Triangle virtually overhead when facing south. Vega will be the brightest star in the sky when looking east. Deneb, the second brightest star of the Summer Triangle, will be to the lower left, and Altair to the lower right.
CONSTELLATIONS OF THE SUMMER TRIANGLE
The Summer Triangle Constellations in the Northern Hemisphere
Once you've identified the Summer Triangle, you can identify three constellations associated with those stars: Lyra the Harp, Cygnus the Swan and Aquila the Eagle.
Lyra the Harp
Lyra the Harp is the small lopsided square that is slightly above Vega within the Triangle. The constellation is named for the harp given to Orpheus by the god Apollo in Greek mythology.
Cygnus the Swan
Cygnus the Swan is off Deneb, and is named for the Latinized Greek word for swan. It is also often referred to as the 'Northern Cross.'
Aquila the Eagle
Aquila the Eagle is named for the Latin word for eagle and is off Altair.
POLARIS (THE NORTH STAR)
How to find Polaris, the North Star
The star that will come in most handy to identify and use for navigation is Polaris, the North Star, so called because of its almost constant location of due North. There are a few ways to locate Polaris: The star resides at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper, an asterism in the Ursa Minor constellation, which can sometimes be difficult to locate if there is too much ambient or city light.
The stars of the Big Dipper, an asterism in the Ursa Major constellation, are not as faint, and if you can find the Big Dipper, locate the two stars that are at the end of the dipper, the spot where the liquid would pour out if holding the dipper by the handle. If you look in a straight line in the direction from the bottom star to the top star, Polaris is a in a straight line about 5X the distance from the bottom star to the top star.
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2023 SUMMER CELESTIAL CALENDAR OF COOL EVENTS
Throughout the summer there are several celestial events worth noting or trying to spot:
June 4: Full Moon
Not great for star gazing or astrophotography, but lovely for an illuminated evening. Native Americans kept track of the seasons by using full moons, and gave distinct names to each that corresponded with what happened yearly at that time.
June 18: New Moon
A 'new moon' is when the cycle of moon phases begins again. The moon is not visible except if there is a solar eclipse or it's illuminated by earthshine (reflected sunlight from Earth hits the night side of the moon). New moons on cloudless nights are the best time for spotting constellations, planets, galaxies and star clusters due to a dark sky.
June 21: Summer Solstice
The summer solstice brings the first day of summer, and occurs when the North Pole is tilted towards the sun in the highest position of the year. While there's nothing to see except for a high sun, it's the longest period of daylight in the year in non-polar regions.
July 3: Super Moon
A super moon is a full moon when the moon is closest to the Earth, making it seem extra bright and closer than it normally is.
July 17: New Moon
June 24: Spot Mercury on the horizon line at sunset
July 28 & 29: Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
While this is the peak of the shower that runs annually from July - August 31, it will be difficult to spot due to an almost full moon. With about 15-20 meteors per hour at it's peak, the best time to spot them is from midnight to dawn.
August 12 & 13: Perseid Meteor Shower
This is going to be a good year for spotting the annual Perseid meteor shower, especially on August 13th. With around 50-60 meteors an hour at it's peak, without a bright moon this year, a dark sky will provide a great show!
August 16: New Moon
The moon phases heading towards the new moon is what makes the Perseids so visible this summer. New moons on cloudless nights are the best time for spotting constellations, planets, galaxies and star clusters and a few more meteors due to a dark sky.
August 31: Full Moon, Supermoon, & Blue Moon
I have NO IDEA how often this happens and haven’t Googled it yet (actually, let me Google that for you), but I have a feeling a lot of weird stuff is going to go down this night. Hope for no ER visits, I may not leave my house.
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Ladye Jane Vickers is an artist, graphic designer & astronomy enthusiast based in Raleigh, NC. This article was published while Creative Director of Broadreach, an educational adventure travel company for teens, where she ran their blog, ‘The Boundless Explorer’.