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If you know just five stars—the brightest five—then you are already on your way to knowing the summer sky.
You finally find yourself under dark skies, perhaps at an overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway or at a state park, and you wonder “how do I find my way among all the hundreds the stars?” If you know just five stars—the brightest five—then you are already on your way to knowing the summer sky.
The brightest star in mid-summer’s early evening sky is found in the west, Arcturus. To confirm its identity, simply continue the arc of the Big Dipper’s handle and it will land right on it.
Directly overhead shines a blue-white star of similar brightness. That is Vega, which also happens to be the northwestern star of the “Summer Triangle.” To Vega’s northeast is another luminary, this one lying in the middle of the Milky Way, Deneb, the primary star of the constellation Cygnus. To Vega’s southeast is Altair, the Triangle’s closest member at 17 light-years.
Low in the south-southwest twinkles a star sporting a reddish hue, Antares. It is the brightest star in Scorpius and lies on the western shore of the Milky Way’s glowing river.
All the other stars—roughly 1,000 of them—can be filled in at your own pace, adding to your discovery of the night sky!
The story above first appeared in our July / August 2023 issue.
