EBENEZERScience
The third-smallest constellation can be found partway along one of the imaginary lines of the summer triangle
This story summarizes reporting from The Guardian. Read the original for full context. Wire items stay in our news sitemap for seven days. Editorial policy.
Read full story on The Guardian →
Science — Stuart Clark
We are on the hunt for another small, northern summer constellation this week: Sagitta, the arrow. Although it consists of just a handful of faint stars, Sagitta’s distinctive shape (it really does look like an arrow) makes it easy to identify against a dark sky.
The chart shows the view looking up towards the zenith while facing south from London at 22.30 BST on Monday.
Sagitta can be found about partway along the imaginary line connecting Vega and Altair, which make up the summer triangle with Deneb.
Although it is the third-smallest constellation in the sky, Sagitta has been recognised since ancient times. The 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy placed it on his list of 48 constellations published in The Almagest.
There are a number of stories from Greek mythology that could be attributed to the arrow. It could be the one fired by Hercules to kill the eagle tormenting Prometheus, or it could be one of Cupid’s famous arrows.
Observers in the southern hemisphere can also see Sagitta during August, although it appears lower in the northern sky than it does from the UK.
The chart shows the view looking up towards the zenith while facing south from London at 22.30 BST on Monday.
This report is published with credit to The Guardian. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on The Guardian →
Source: The Guardian · Stuart Clark. Published 31 Aug 2026, 05:00 am.
Most relevant
The solution to today’s underwater conundrums
Read on theguardian.com →
