Vega

Vega (α Lyrae) is a white star in the constellation Lyra. With an apparent magnitude of 0.03 it is the 5th-brightest star in the night sky, and it is about 25 light-years from Earth.

Finder chart showing where Vega is in the constellation Lyra
Vega (circled) in Lyra, with the surrounding constellations and bright stars.
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How to find Vega, step by step

The brightest corner of the Summer Triangle.

  1. On summer evenings look nearly straight up (from mid-northern latitudes).
  2. The brightest star there, blue-white, is Vega. With Deneb and Altair it forms the Summer Triangle.
  3. Next to Vega you can see the small parallelogram of Lyra.
How to find Vega: star-hopping chart with numbered steps. The brightest corner of the Summer Triangle.
How to find Vega: follow the arrows from star 1 to the circled target.
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Facts

ConstellationLyra
Designationα Lyrae (Alpha Lyrae), HR 7001
Apparent magnitude0.03 (5th brightest)
Spectral typeA0Va
Colorwhite (B−V 0.00)
Distanceabout 25 light-years
Right ascension18 h 36.9 min
Declination+38.78°
Best monthAugust (at about 9 pm)

Sources: star positions, magnitudes and colors from the Yale Bright Star Catalogue; constellation boundaries and star names from the IAU; areas and distances from Wikidata; stick figures by M. van der Sluys. How the maps are made.

How to find Vega

Vega is in Lyra. From 40° N it is highest in the south in August evenings, about 89° above the horizon. From 35° S it reaches about 16° in the north. Nearby bright stars: Eltanin (15° away), Sadr (20° away) and Deneb (24° away).

Lyra constellation →

Other named stars in Lyra

SulafatSheliakAladfar

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