If you’ve never known how to find the path of the Milky Way through the sky, summer is the time to go out and look. High in the sky, a massive triangle made of the stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair marks out a section of the Milky Way. If you are in a dark location with binoculars, these three stars can be used to point out a bunch of cool features. 

Vega, part of the constellation Lyra, is a couple binocular fields away from the beautiful Ring Nebula. Deneb is the rear of Cygnus the Swan, and if you can follow this bird’s neck to its end, you can find the double star Albireo. If you have always thought of stars as single white points of light, this pair will teach you just how colorful stars can be. Using either massive binoculars or a small telescope, this system can be resolved into amber and sky blue stars. 

That third star, Altair, is the brightest star of Aquila the swan, and that constellation is actually pretty boring, but if you have a larger scope and a good camera, there is a planetary nebula, the Phantom Streak Nebula, and an open cluster.

Go out. Find the summer triangle with your eyes and the Milky Way that streams through it. Explore more as your equipment allows, and remember bug spray.

More Information

Come To Know The Summer Triangle (EarthSky)

Find The Famous Summer Triangle (EarthSky)