It is difficult to say who was the first to introduce this name, but in the 19th century the German astronomer Johann Bode (1816) noted asterism on his maps, and J. von Littrow wrote about Vega, Deneb and Altair as stars forming a “noticeable triangle” in the sky. (1866). As its name suggests, the asterism dominates the sky in summer; its constituent stars are the first to appear in the sky during the short, bright northern nights.
Summer Triangle rising above the eastern horizon. Drawing: Stellarium
In temperate latitudes, the triangle rises at the beginning of May at midnight (in the northeast), and starting in June, all three stars are visible in the sky already at dusk. Throughout the summer, the Great Summer Triangle is visible in the southeastern and southern skies, culminating at midnight only in early August. At this time, Vega and Deneb are almost at their zenith, and Altair is high above the southern horizon.
This asterism is also often called the summer-autumn triangle, since it lingers in the sky for a long time even after the end of summer. On autumn evenings its stars are visible high in the sky in the south and southwest. In late autumn and winter, two of its stars - Vega and Deneb - are visible in the west and northwest, not high above the horizon. North of 50° N. w. Vega and Deneb do not go beyond the horizon at all; in winter, even after midnight they can be seen in the northern part of the sky.
The Great Summer Triangle culminates at midnight in late summer, high above the southern horizon. Drawing: Stellarium
Thus, an asterism can serve as a rough stellar calendar, marking the seasons with its position in the sky.
And yet the Great Summer Triangle is the main detail of the summer sky; The easiest way to get acquainted with summer constellations is to start from the three stars that make it up.
Stars of the Great Summer Triangle
Bluish white Vega- the second brightest star in the northern sky - is located in the upper right corner of the triangle; the vertex of the upper left corner is formed by Deneb, the main star of the constellation Cygnus. The bottom vertex of the triangle is marked Altair, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila.
All three stars are hotter than the Sun and belong to spectral class A. But how different they are from each other!
Altair is one of the closest stars to us, the distance to it is only 5 parsecs. The star is almost twice as massive as the Sun and 11 times its luminosity. Vega is also close to us, but located further than Altair, at a distance of 7.7 parsecs from us (25 light years). However, Vega appears brighter in the sky, as it emits 5 times more light than Altair. Compared to the Sun, Vega is almost a giant: the star is 2.1 times more massive than the Sun and 52 times more luminous than it. Deneb is only the third brightest star in the Summer Triangle. But in reality it is a supergiant star, 20 times the Sun in mass and 200 times in diameter. Deneb's luminosity is colossal - only 200,000 suns could produce a flux of radiation comparable to that emitted by Deneb. Obviously, the relatively low brightness of the star is explained by its extreme distance from us. The distance to Deneb is about 800 parsecs or 2600 light years.
On dark August and September nights, when there is no Moon and observations are not interfered with by city light, a wide strip of the Milky Way can be observed in the sky, stretching across the triangle between Vega and Altair. Deneb lies right in the middle of this stellar river, marking the place where it is broken into two streams by dark nebulae.
The Milky Way encircles the entire sky, but starting from the constellation Cygnus and further south, its stripe becomes brighter and wider until it reaches the constellation Sagittarius, where the center of our Galaxy is located. Knowing where the Great Summer Triangle is located, a beginner can easily find the position of the Milky Way in the sky.
Summer constellations are good to study, starting from the stars of the asterism - Vega, Deneb and Altair. The triangle also crosses the Milky Way. Drawing: Stellarium
Northern hemisphere celestial sphere, clearly visible in summer and autumn in the middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere. It is a triangle of three bright stars: Vega (α Lyrae), Deneb (α Cygnus) and Altair (α Eagle).
At low latitudes of the southern hemisphere, asterism is observed in winter and spring in the northern part of the sky low above the horizon. At latitudes higher than 50°S, only Altair is visible.
Name options: “autumn-summer”, “summer”, “big summer” and “autumn triangle”.
see also
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Links
- at by Kerry Magruder
- at (English)
- at (English)
- Astronomy Picture of the Day.(English) (June 25, 2010). Retrieved February 16, 2014.
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An excerpt characterizing the Summer-Autumn Triangle
Esclarmonde burst into tears... She so wanted to look courageous and strong!.. But her fragile and tender woman’s heart let her down... She didn’t want them to leave!.. She didn’t even have time to recognize her little Vidomir! It was much more painful than she had naively imagined. It was pain from which there was no escape. She was in such inhuman pain!!!Finally, kissing her little son for the last time, she released them into the unknown... They left to survive. And she stayed to die... The world was cold and unfair. And there was no place left in it even for Love...
Wrapped in warm blankets, four stern men walked out into the night. These were her friends - the Perfects: Hugo, Amiel, Poitevin and Svetozar (who is not mentioned in any original manuscript, it simply says that the name of the fourth Perfect remained unknown). Esclarmonde tried to go out after them... Her mother did not let her go. There was no longer any point in this - the night was dark, and the daughter would only disturb those leaving.
This was their fate, and they had to meet it with their heads held high. No matter how difficult it may be...
The descent along which the four Perfects went was very dangerous. The rock was slippery and almost vertical.
One of the most burning questions that interest novice astronomy lovers is this: how to learn to navigate the sky?
The answer is simple: gradually! First you need to learn how to find the brightest stars in the sky and learn their names. Then move from individual stars to groups of stars and learn the location and name of the brightest and most expressive star patterns. After this, you can start working with the star map. Without knowing the location of the brightest stars in the sky, it is difficult to learn celestial orientation using maps (unless it is a planisphere) - you simply do not have landmarks in the sky to compare them with what is shown in the atlas.
That's why start with the simplest observations. On the next fine evening, go outside, face the south and look up. You may ask: where, exactly, is the south? South is in the direction where the Sun is in your area around noon. You don’t need to know the more precise direction to the south now, although in the future you can determine it using the North Star.
So, after evening twilight, stand facing south and tilt your head up. High in the sky you will see a large triangle formed by three bright stars.
In July, after dark, the Great Summer Triangle is in the southern sky. Pattern: Stellarium
The brightest star forms the upper right vertex of the triangle. You will notice it even in a relatively bright twilight sky. This Vega, the brightest star in the northern hemisphere of the celestial sphere after Arcturus. Star Deneb forms the upper left vertex. It is significantly dimmer than Vega, but is still one of the brightest stars in the night sky. Finally, the third star, Altair, is located under these two stars. In terms of brightness, it occupies an intermediate position between Deneb and Vega.
The stars Vega and Deneb, which form the base of the triangle, will be located almost at the zenith. The apex of the triangle, designated by the star Altair, is located approximately halfway from the zenith to the horizon - the triangle is as if inverted, it “looks” with its apex down.
Here is one of the most famous star patterns in our sky. It is called the Great Summer Triangle or the Summer Triangle, sometimes the summer-autumn triangle. As the name suggests, the best time to observe it is summer and autumn, when the triangle is high in the southern sky in the evenings.
Knowing this star figure is useful for several reasons.
- Pushing away from her you can study all the summer constellations one by one.
- The Milky Way passes through the Summer Triangle. So, the star Deneb lies in its very midst. Having found the Summer Triangle in the sky, you will automatically find the position of the Milky Way.
- Inside and along the edges of the Summer Triangle there are many celestial attractions: diffuse nebulae, open and globular star clusters, double and variable stars.
The Milky Way path runs through the Summer Triangle. Pattern: Stellarium
You probably noticed that I called the Summer Triangle a figure and a drawing, but I never called constellation- because it is not a constellation, but asterism. The stars that make up the triangle belong to three different constellations. Vega heads the small constellation Lyra, Deneb is part of the very beautiful and expressive constellation Cygnus, and Altair is the main star of the constellation Aquila. All three constellations are perfectly visible in the country sky on dark August or September nights. These are ancient constellations - their age is more than 2000 years.
If you are just starting to get acquainted with the starry sky, be sure to look for the Great Summer Triangle - it will become your basic star pattern until the end of October.
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What is it asterism? Very often you can hear “the constellation Big Dipper”, “the constellation Pleiades” and, as it happens, but the majority of the inhabitants of the Earth do not offend such a phrase at all. And yet these constellations do not exist! For such notable star groups as the Big Dipper and Small Dipper, Pegasus Square, Summer-Autumn Triangle, Orion's Belt, Pleiades star cluster, letter “W” constellation Cassiopeia and many others, a special term was found - asterisms.
In some ways, asterisms are more important than the constellations themselves. So, for example, to find the Polar Star, they first find the characteristic Big Star, and then through it the Small Bucket, and already on the handle of the Small Bucket the Polar Star is easily discovered. Or the completely faceless constellation Cancer, famous only for the fact that it is included in the Zodiac belt and which is discovered with the help of the Manger asterism, which is part of it.
The most famous and significant asterisms
Big Dipper
Summer-autumn triangle
The most prominent asterism in the northern hemisphere. Consists of three very bright stars located in three constellations. It's in a constellation, in a constellation, and in a constellation.
Winter triangle
The triangle of the winter sky of our latitudes. Consists of the brightest star from, from and from. If we add to these stars zeta from the constellation Stern And alpha then you get another asterism - Egyptian cross.
Winter circle
The Winter Triangle asterism is also part of another asterism Winter circle. In addition to those mentioned Sirius, Procyon And Betelgeuse this asterism includes and from, Menkalian and from, from and from.
Spring triangle
Like all triangles, Vesny is composed of equatorial stars. In our northern latitudes it is visible in the spring. Includes from constellation, from and Denebola from . If a star is added to a triangle Karl's heart from , then the resulting rhombus is called Diamond of the Virgin(or Virgo Necklace) is also an asterism.
"W" Cassiopeia
This asterism, along with Orion's Belt probably easiest to find in the sky. The five stars that make up the base of the constellation are arranged in a distinct Latin letter “W”.
Big Square
Having finished with the triangles, we move on to the squares. This asterism is usually called Great square of Pegasus, but it includes not only three stars but also one from the constellation. And together they form an almost perfect square, which is easy to find and Pegasus And Andromeda. At one time all 4 stars were included in the constellation Pegasus, but now a star Alferats refers to Andromeda.
Orion's Belt
Three stars lined up in a row in the constellation are easily distinguishable in the sky, and thanks to them the Orion constellation is most easily located in the northern hemisphere. In ancient times, at different times, these three stars were called the three kings or wise men.
Scorpio Tail
Hyades
Hyades- another star cluster in the constellation Taurus, only slightly inferior to the Pleiades. Together with a star (not included in this asterism) they form the characteristic letter “V”. Hyades these are also the daughters of the prolific Atlas - half-sisters Pleiades.
Northern Cross
Bright stars of the constellation Swan form an asterism stretching along the Milky Way Northern Cross. In our latitudes it is visible all year round, but best in summer and early autumn. Star Deneb Northern Cross also included in Summer-autumn triangle.
False Southern Cross
An insidious asterism in the southern hemisphere, which often led sailors astray. Includes four stars from the constellations and, unlike the real one Southern Cross, does not point south.
Gorgon head
An irregularly shaped quadrangle in the constellation, which is usually associated with the severed head of Medusa the Gorgon, which she holds in her hand Perseus. The brightest star of the asterism is the famous Algol- Eye of the Devil.
Nursery
One of the most famous star clusters. Located in the constellation along with another asterism Donkeys. After Pleiades, Hyades And Ursa Major Stream it is the closest star cluster to Earth.
Donkeys
Two stars gamma and delta Cancer are called Donkeys (Donkeys). According to legend, Dionysus placed them there and built it for them. Nursery.
Goat and kids
Several more representatives of livestock are placed in the sky in the constellation. It is believed that the shepherd holds a goat and kids in his arms - a bright star Capella and three small ones. In ancient times they were known as an independent constellation Goat.
Kemble Cascade
A long chain of up to 20 stars from the 5th to the 10th magnitude, visible only with optical instruments in the constellation Giraffe. Only one star with a romantic name is visible to the naked eye. HD 24479.
Egyptian cross
A large asterism that includes another asterism Winter triangle and a couple more stars from the constellations Stern And Pigeon. Together they form two isosceles triangles or a cross. Alternative name - St. Andrew's cross.
The term asterism should not be confused with another term - catasterism, i.e., associating mythological characters in the form of constellations.
Summer triangle- ... Wikipedia
Autumn-summer triangle
Autumn triangle- Summer triangle The summer-autumn triangle is the most noticeable asterism in the northern hemisphere of the celestial sphere, clearly visible in summer and autumn. It is a triangle of three bright stars: Vega (α Lyrae), Deneb (α Cygnus) and Altair (α Eagle) ... Wikipedia
Summer-autumn triangle- Summer-autumn triangle ... Wikipedia
Deadly triangle- The Outer Limits: Second Thoughts Genre fantasy ... Wikipedia
CONSTELLATION- a group of stars named after a religious or mythical character or animal, or after some remarkable object of antiquity or modernity. Constellations are unique monuments of ancient human culture, its mythology,... ... Collier's Encyclopedia
Altair- α Orla, star of 1st magnitude; together with Vega and Deneb it forms the so-called great summer triangle. * * * ALTAIR ALTAIR, a Orla, star of the 1st magnitude; together with Vega and Deneb forms the so-called. big summer triangle... encyclopedic Dictionary
Deneb- (α Cygnus), star of the 1st magnitude. Deneb, Vega (α Lyrae) and Altair (α Orlae) are clearly visible in the summer sky and form the so-called great summer triangle. * * * DENEB DENEB (a Cygni), star of the 1st magnitude (see STELLAR VALUE) ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Vega- This term has other meanings, see Vega (meanings). Vega Star ... Wikipedia
Vega- Vega Star Position of Vega in the constellation Lyra History of the study Designations Vega, α Lyr, 3 Lyr, HIP 91262, GCRV 11085 ... Wikipedia
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