each star in the summer triangle belongs to its own unique constellation. altair lives in the constellation aquila (the eagle), vega is part of the constellation lyra (the harp), and deneb acts as the head of the constellation cygnus (the swan). a "constellation" is one of 88 stellar groupings officially adopted by the international astronomical union based on ancient identifications, while "asterisms" are more modern associations of stars.
happy hunting!
3 comments:
Altair is my (late) dog's star!
[not that I managed to find it again once I declared it was her star:-)]
Deneb's not the head of Cygnus; it's the tail. That's what Deneb means (or, at least, is derived from) in Arabic. Similarly with Denebola in Leo.
...and my favourite star is the tip of Cygnus' beak, Alberio, a beautiful double with blue and golden yellow components.
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