The "Summer Triangle" is online!
After the beginning of summer, the weather warms up and the temperature rises. Astronomical science experts said that the famous "summer triangle" composed of three bright stars, Vega in Lyra, Tianjin IV in Cygnus, and Cowherd in Aquila, has begun to appear in the east one by one after night, and the "geometric figures" in the night sky are gradually ushering in a good season.
This is the "Summer Triangle" filmed in Xinglong County, Hebei Province on May 4, 2014. (Photo by Tianjin starry sky photography enthusiast Wang Shuo)
Xiu Lipeng, a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and an expert in astronomical science popularization, said that although you want to see all the "Summer Triangle" at night, it will take until around the summer solstice, but from the beginning of summer, you can see Vega, Tianjin Four, and Cowherd Star gradually rising from the east after nightfall, until around midnight, these three stars will rise completely above the horizon.
The shape of these three stars is similar to an "isosceles triangle", in which the apex is the Cowherd star, and the two bottom corners are Vega and Tianjin IV.
This is the "Summer Triangle" filmed in June 2018 in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. (Photo by Zhao Yanyan, a Beijing starry sky photography enthusiast)
Stargazers can easily notice these three shining stars in the night sky, and even in cities with heavy light pollution, this sparkling "summer triangle" can be clearly seen. Also because of the Cowherd and Vega, the "Summer Triangle" has a romantic color in the eyes of stargazers.
The "Summer Triangle" is not only visible in summer, but can be seen almost all year round, but it is named because these three stars belong to the typical constellation of the summer starry sky. Due to the suitable weather, June to September is more suitable for outdoor observation than other times.
This is the "Summer Triangle" taken on July 23, 2023 in Dahongliuxia Township, Balikun County, Hami, Xinjiang. (Photo by Zhou Bo, a Beijing starry sky photography enthusiast)
"Since the stars rise four minutes earlier each day than the day before, the 'Summer Triangle' rises earlier than the month of the month, rising from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. in June, and can be seen at night after July. Interested members of the public will notice that the 'Summer Triangle' has been running westward. Over time, the height of the 'Summer Triangle' will gradually increase, and the stars will appear brighter and easier to identify with less interference from the horizon lights. Xiu Lipeng said.
Xiu Lipeng said that in the countryside, wilderness and other places with a wider field of vision far away from urban light pollution, interested members of the public can also use this eye-catching "big triangle" to find the brilliant Milky Way that runs through the summer starry sky, which is like a milky white light band across the sky and north and south that appears in the night, and the large and small constellations are bright and star-studded.
This is the "Summer Triangle" filmed in Yushu, Qinghai on August 22, 2023. (Photo by Zhou Bo, a Beijing starry sky photography enthusiast)
Vega and Cowherd are separated on both sides of the Milky Way, silently looking at each other, gazing affectionately, and the ancient poem once described it like this: "Morning Glory, the Han Girl of the Bright River...... Yingying is in the water, and the pulse is silent. ”
This is the "Summer Triangle" filmed on September 1, 2019 in Huade County, Ulanqab City, Inner Mongolia. (Photo by Lu Shupei, a Beijing starry sky photography enthusiast)
The "Summer Triangle" has been "launched", and interested members of the public may wish to find a clear night, look up at the "geometric figures" in this night sky, and identify Vega, Cowherd and Tianjin Si. If conditions permit, you can also go to the suburbs to watch the splendid Milky Way passing through this "big triangle" and feel the magnificence and grandeur of the starry sky.
Source: Xinhua News Agency