Welcome to the University of Michigan – Dearborn

Observatory

Founded 2007

The Summer Sky July 16, 2010

• Locate and view Saturn in the northwest sky.

• Mars and Venus are near Saturn in the sky.

• Pluto is found (against the stars of the Milky Way) in the southern sky.

• Learn how to find the Summer Triangle and other features of the summer sky.

The Summer Triangle

Bright stars Altair, Deneb, and Vega

The Summer Triangle

• Identifying the Summer Triangle will help you locate other constellations in the summer sky.

• Altair, Deneb and Vega are the bright stars at the corners of the triangle.

• Vega is the brightest star of the summer sky.• The constellations Aquila (the eagle), Cygnus

(the swan), and Lyra (the harp), respectively, contain the corner stars.

The Summer Triangle

Bright stars Altair, Deneb, and Vega

The Summer Triangle

• Delphinus is just southeast of the triangle, between Altair and Deneb. Look for the “arch of the Dolphin.”

• Hercules (look for the keystone) is just west of Lyra.

The Summer Triangle

Bright stars Altair, Deneb, and Vega

The Summer Sky

• Find the Big Dipper. Follow the handle to Arcturus (“arc to Arturus”), which is the brightest star in Bootes.

• From Arcturus, “Spike to Spica,” the brightest star in Virgo.

From the Big Dipper, “arc to Arturus”, the brightest star in Bootes.From Arcturus, “Spike to Spica,” the brightest star in Virgo.

Tonight’s Sky in Quadrants

NW E S

NW sky : Saturn, Mars, Venus; Hercules, Bootes, Big Dipper

Saturn

Mars

Venus

SW sky: Saturn, Mars, Pluto; Virgo, Corona Borealis

Saturn

Mars

Pluto

SE sky: Milky Way, Pluto; Ophiucus, Capricorn

Pluto

NE sky: Summer Triangle, Andromeda, Jupiter, Uranus

JupiterUranus

The Summer Triangle

• Can you identify the Summer Triangle without seeing the lines?