'Summer triangle' rises in the night sky, and a telescope reveals 4 nearby objects
Summer is the best time to see this configuration of three bright stars, and they will guide stargazers toward four other celestial sights that require a telescope to see.
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Summertime stargazers have a new celestial gathering to look for in the night sky, along with a reason to dust off their telescopes.
The Summer Triangle is now visible in the eastern sky after nightfall. It is not a constellation, but rather a formation of three bright stars: Vega, Altair and Deneb.
The summer triangle over Germany on Aug. 12, 2021. (Getty Images/davidhajnal)
The stars can easily be spotted with the unaided eye, and scattered around the triangle are four other celestial objects that require a telescope to see.
"Inside and around this region are deep-sky objects like the Dumbbell Nebula, the Ring Nebula, the North America Nebula, and the Veil Nebula," NASA said.
"These objects are not bright like planets, but with telescopes or long exposure photography, they reveal glowing gas, dying stars, and stellar nurseries in our galaxy," NASA explained.
A sky chart showing where to see the summer triangle in the sky after sunset. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)
There is no one particular night that is best for seeing the triangle or nebula, so skywatchers can check the AccuWeather app and choose the night with the best cloud forecast to look for the summer triangle.
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