How to find Aquila
The Eagle flying up the Milky Way, led by Altair — the third corner of the Summer Triangle.
Altair — a fast-spinning nearby star; the third corner of the Summer Triangle.
Aquila, the Eagle, straddles the celestial equator and the Milky Way, flying 'up' toward Cygnus. Its leading star, Altair, is one of the nearest bright stars and completes the Summer Triangle with Vega and Deneb.
Altair is easy to identify because it's flanked closely by two fainter stars, one on each side — a little three-in-a-row that marks the eagle's head.
Altair and the Summer Triangle's base
Altair is the southernmost and lowest corner of the Summer Triangle. The constellation lies in a rich part of the Milky Way, with dark rifts and dense star fields running through it that show well from a dark site.
How to find it
- Find the Summer Triangle overhead; Altair is its lowest, southernmost corner
- Altair is the bright star flanked by a fainter star on either side
- The eagle's body trails into the Milky Way toward Cygnus
Deep-sky highlights
- Rich Milky Way star fields and dark nebulae through the constellation
- The Wild Duck Cluster (M11) lies just across the border in neighbouring Scutum
Stella shows exactly when Aquila is highest from your location tonight — and whether the sky is worth it.
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