Discover Summer Constellations

Summer is a season meant for soaking up the sun and exploring the great outdoors. The longer days mean more time for adventure, but the fun doesn’t have to stop when the sun sets. Grab your family, find the perfect patch of grass and lay down on a blanket beneath the stars.

Best seen in the evening sky from late June to late September, the Summer constellations offer endless opportunities for entertainment. The seasons may change quickly but stars don’t switch out right away. They take their time moving into their natural positions. If you’re lucky, you will get to see some Spring constellations as the Summer ones slowly make their appearance.

While thousands of constellations roam the beautiful night skies, there are three constellations that are most prominent in the Summer months: Summer Triangle, Scorpius and Cancer.

Summer Triangle: Known as nature’s seasonal calendar, the Summer Triangle is actually an asterism, which is an unofficial but known cluster of stars. The stars Altair, Vega and Deveb make up the three points of the Summer Triangle.

Scorpius: Latin for Scorpion, the Scorpius constellation is located in the Southern celestial hemisphere. It’s one of the zodiac constellations and the 33^rd largest in size. This constellation is easy to spot because it is also located near the center of the Milky Way.

Cancer: Latin for Crab, Cancer is the second dimmest of the zodiac constellations. It’s the 31^st largest constellation in size and is located in the Northern celestial hemisphere.