2. SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH

Now keep turning towards the left and look almost directly overhead. High towards the southwest in Lyra is the star Vega. Then, very high and nearly due south, you’ll find Deneb in Cygnus and Altair below, in Aquila. It was only a few weeks ago when these, the bright stars of the Summer Triangle, soared high overhead. Now they’re already setting when darkness comes. Altair and Vega are relatively close to us – only about 16 and 20 lightyears away – but Deneb is about 2,600 lightyears away, so it looks mellower and more subdued than the other two.

From the Summer Triangle, look for the small constellation of Delphinus nearby. Its stars almost look like a small dolphin, with a diamond-shaped head and a long tail, swimming upstream along the Milky Way, which runs through this stretch of sky.

The area near the Summer Triangle is rich with deep-sky objects, including the band of our own Milky Way. It’s easy to get lost for hours here, scanning the sky and seeing what you come across