How to find Sagittarius
The 'Teapot' that points to the centre of the Milky Way — the richest patch of deep sky there is.
Kaus Australis — marks the bottom of the Archer's bow.
Most people find Sagittarius not as an archer but as the 'Teapot', a compact, obvious asterism of bright stars. It's a summer constellation low in the south (high in the southern hemisphere).
It matters because the direction toward Sagittarius is the direction toward the heart of our galaxy — so it overflows with nebulae and star clusters.
Steam from the Teapot
On a dark night the band of the Milky Way thickens noticeably above the Teapot's spout — sometimes described as 'steam' rising from it. That glow is the combined light of billions of stars toward the galactic centre.
A deep-sky goldmine
Few areas of sky reward binoculars and small telescopes like this one. Sweep slowly above the Teapot and you'll run into bright nebulae and clusters one after another.
How to find it
- Look low in the south in summer for a teapot-shaped group of stars to the left of Scorpius
- From a dark site, the brightest part of the Milky Way rises above the spout
- Best from southern latitudes, where it stands high overhead
Deep-sky highlights
- Lagoon Nebula (M8) and Trifid Nebula (M20)
- Omega/Swan Nebula (M17) and the Eagle Nebula (M16) just north
- Globular clusters M22 and M28
Stella shows exactly when Sagittarius is highest from your location tonight — and whether the sky is worth it.
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