How to find Auriga
A bright pentagon high in the winter sky, led by Capella and strung with open star clusters.
Capella — the sixth-brightest star in the night sky, nearly overhead in winter.
Auriga, the Charioteer, forms a distinct pentagon of stars almost overhead on winter evenings, anchored by the brilliant yellow star Capella. It sits in the Milky Way, so it's threaded with open star clusters.
Capella is one of the first bright stars to appear in the north-east as autumn turns to winter.
Capella and the Kids
Capella is actually a system of giant stars and is among the brightest stars in the whole sky. Beside it is a small triangle of fainter stars known as 'the Kids'. The pentagon shares one star with neighbouring Taurus.
How to find it
- Look high overhead on winter evenings for a bright yellow star in a pentagon of stars — Capella
- Auriga sits above Orion and Taurus, in the Milky Way
- The small triangle of 'the Kids' sits just beside Capella
Deep-sky highlights
- Open clusters M36, M37, and M38 — a fine trio for binoculars and small scopes
Stella shows exactly when Auriga is highest from your location tonight — and whether the sky is worth it.
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