Summer Sky

Under good weather, it is not difficult to find a faint band across the sky, which is known as the Milky Way. It serves as a good guide to locate constellations, such as Sagittarius (the Archer). It appears in the southern sky and it lies in the brightest part of the Milky Way, which could be noticed for its close bright stars. You may easily recognise Sagittarius by its teapot shape. In Greek myth, it is an archer but it is a half-man, half-beast creature. Its bow is pointing to Scorpius, the adjacent constellation at the west. Scorpius is one of the few constellations whose shape can be imagined from its name. It shaped as a skewed "S" hanging on the southern sky, really like a Scorpion. The curving line of stars forms its tail with its sting raised to strike. Along the body of scorpion, you will get see a reddish-orange bright star, namely Antares. This is the heart of the scorpion.

Along the Milky Way, if you sweep up to the north, you will find 3 bright stars, which is known as the "summer Triangle". One of the bright stars, Deneb, lies in the tail of Cygnus. Cygnus appears like a swan flies with outspread wings along the Milky Way. Because of its shape, it is sometimes also know as the Northern Cross. From old stories, the swan is Orpheus, who was killed by Achilles at the battle of Trop and placed in the stars near his beloved harp (Lyra).

Another Star of the "Summer Triangle" is called Vega, which appears blue-white. It is a member of Lyra. Lyra is relatively small constellation in the sky, which like a triangle formed by Vega and 2 fainter stars on the east. The lyre is one of the most ancient of musical instruments. In Greek mythology, the lyre was invented by Hermes and given to Apollo his half-brother, who in turn gave it to his son Orpheus, the musician of the Argonauts.

Another bright star, Altair, and it mark the constellation Aquila. Aquila can be recognised by its pure white light and the presence of two fainter stars. During the summer time it is about 45¢X above the horizon as seen from mid-northern latitudes. In Greek myth, it was Zeus's pet Eagle. It was involved in how people got fire.

Summer Sky

Under good weather, it is not difficult to find a faint band across the sky, which is known as the Milky Way. It serves as a good guide to locate constellations, such as Sagittarius (the Archer). It appears in the southern sky and it lies in the brightest part of the Milky Way, which could be noticed for its close bright stars. You may easily recognise Sagittarius by its teapot shape. In Greek myth, it is an archer but it is a half-man, half-beast creature. Its bow is pointing to Scorpius, the adjacent constellation at the west. Scorpius is one of the few constellations whose shape can be imagined from its name. It shaped as a skewed "S" hanging on the southern sky, really like a Scorpion. The curving line of stars forms its tail with its sting raised to strike. Along the body of scorpion, you will get see a reddish-orange bright star, namely Antares. This is the heart of the scorpion.

Along the Milky Way, if you sweep up to the north, you will find 3 bright stars, which is known as the "summer Triangle". One of the bright stars, Deneb, lies in the tail of Cygnus. Cygnus appears like a swan flies with outspread wings along the Milky Way. Because of its shape, it is sometimes also know as the Northern Cross. From old stories, the swan is Orpheus, who was killed by Achilles at the battle of Trop and placed in the stars near his beloved harp (Lyra).

Another Star of the "Summer Triangle" is called Vega, which appears blue-white. It is a member of Lyra. Lyra is relatively small constellation in the sky, which like a triangle formed by Vega and 2 fainter stars on the east. The lyre is one of the most ancient of musical instruments. In Greek mythology, the lyre was invented by Hermes and given to Apollo his half-brother, who in turn gave it to his son Orpheus, the musician of the Argonauts.

Another bright star, Altair, and it mark the constellation Aquila. Aquila can be recognised by its pure white light and the presence of two fainter stars. During the summer time it is about 45¢X above the horizon as seen from mid-northern latitudes. In Greek myth, it was Zeus's pet Eagle. It was involved in how people got fire.