✧ Summer Triangle The Summer Triangle is an asterism in Cygnus. •⠤⣄⣀⡀ ⠸⡄ ⠉⠙⠒⠲⠤⣄⣀⡀ ⣇ ⠉⠙⢒● ⢸ ⡞ ⠈⡇ ⡼⠁ ⢳ ⡼⠁ ⠸⡄ ⣰⠃ ⣇ ⣰⠃ ⢸⡀ ⢠⠇ ⡇ ⢠⠏ ⢹ ⢀⡏ ⠘⣆⡞ ● Type Asterism Constellation Cygnus Stars 3 More information about Summer Triangle The Summer Triangle is made up of Vega, Deneb and Altair. They are the first stars to come out on a summer evening, and they are spread far enough apart to span most of the sky overhead. Each one belongs to a different constellation, Vega to Lyra, Deneb to Cygnus and Altair to Aquila, which is why the triangle is not a constellation itself but a shape drawn across three of them. The Milky Way runs straight through the middle of it, so from a dark site the triangle frames the best part of the whole band. Not settled: Who named it is not settled. Oswald Thomas used Sommerdreieck in the 1920s and Patrick Moore is usually credited with the English name in the 1950s. Etymology From English Reading the Summer Triangle Literally the summer triangle The evolution of Summer Triangle over time -50,000 years Deneb •⠢⢄⡀ ⠈⡇ ⠈⠉⠒⠦⢄⣀ ⠸⡄ ⠉⠒⠦⢄⣀ ⢣ ⠉⠓⠢⢄⣀ ⠈⣆ ⠉⠓⠢⢤⣀ ⠸⡀ ⡜● Vega ⢣ ⡰⠁ ⠘⡆ ⢰⠃ ⢸⡀ ⢠⠃ ⢇ ⢀⡎ ⠘⡆ ⡞ ⢱ ⡜ ⢇ ⣰⠁ ⠘⡄ ⢰⠃ ⢳ ⢠⠇ ⢇ ⢀⠏ ⠸⡄ ⡜ ⢱ ⡼ ⠈⡷⠁ ● Altair now Deneb ⢰•⠤⣄⣀⡀ ⡇ ⠉⠉⠒⠒⠤⠤⣀⡀ ⢸ ⠈⠉⠑⠒⠢⠤⣄⣀⡀ ⡇ ⠉● Vega ⢹ ⡜ ⠈⡆ ⡜ ⢱ ⡜ ⠘⡄ ⡜ ⢧ ⡜ ⠸⡄ ⡜ ⢇ ⡜ ⠸⡀ ⡼⠁ ⡇ ⡼⠁ ⢸ ⡼⠁ ⠈⡇ ⡼⠁ ⢹ ⡜⠁ ⠈⡞ ● Altair +50,000 years Deneb •⠉⠉⠉⠉⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠤⠤⠤⠤⢤⠄ ⢸ ⡰⠋● Vega ⢸ ⢀⡞ ⢸ ⣠⠊ ⢸ ⢀⡔⠁ ⢸ ⢀⠎ ⡇ ⡰⠃ ⡇ ⢀⠞ ⡇ ⣠⠃ ⡇ ⢀⡔⠁ ⡇ ⣠⠊ ⡇ ⡰⠃ ⣇⠞ ● Altair Over 50,000 years either way the longest side of this figure changes by 22%, and the furthest any of its stars travels is 12.2 degrees. Proper motion only: this is the shape changing, not the sky turning or the pole moving. curl 'skymap.sh/Summer%20Triangle/evolution.gif' where it is tonight: skymap.sh/Summer Triangle