Summer triangle

The summer triangle is a large, striking constellation of bright stars in the northern starry sky , which can be easily observed, especially on summer nights in the northern hemisphere . It is often easy to see, even when visibility is restricted by the atmosphere and light pollution . In mid-July it is around midnight in the south, in mid-August at around 10 p.m. ( 1 hour later in summer time ).

The summer triangle is not a constellation defined by the International Astronomical Union , but an asterism . It consists of three fixed stars , each assigned to different constellations. In clockwise direction these are:

• Deneb in the constellation Swan ,
• Wega in the lyre and
• Altair (also called Atair ) in the eagle .

It can be assumed that the ancient natural philosophers / mathematicians in the summer triangle in particular the "heavenly idea" of a right-angled triangle with the proportions (Greek Λόγος) 3: 4: 5 and thus (at the latest Pythagoras ) the root of the Pythagorean triples ( 3, 4, 5 ) looked.

See also

• Spring triangle
• Autumn square
• Winter hexagon

Web links

• Picture of the summer triangle at Astronomy Picture of the Day ( taken in Alamut (Iran) at 36 ° 26 ′ 41 ″ N, 50 ° 35 ′ 11 ″ E)
• Henryk Bilor: Trójkąt letni (Summer Triangle) , Astronomia 2007, Poland

Individual evidence