How do I Find the Constellation Aquila in the Night Sky?

In the Northern Hemisphere

• 1

  Face toward the west if you are in the northern hemisphere. Use the compass to find where west is. Aquila is best seen during the summer months when Altair is one of the three brightest stars in the sky. Altair would be the one of the three that is located in the bottom right and the other two would be Vega and Deneb.

• 2

  Look for two smaller fainter starts right next to Altair. These stars form the eagle̵7;s head.

• 3

  Locate the right wing tip by holding out your hand in front of you and right next to Altair. Your hand will be equivalent to 10 degrees and you can see the star that forms one of the wing tips of the constellation Aquila, Theta Aquilae.

• 4

  Locate the other wing tip by drawing an imaginary diamond shape with Altair and Theta Aquila. You can see the corresponding wing tip toward the west. This star is called Delta Aquilae.

• 5

  Locate the base of the tail by completing the diamond diagram in the sky using the three other stars as reference. This star is Zeta Aquilae and is the base of the tail.

• 6

  Drawing an imaginary line straight from Zeta Aquilae, you can see Lambda Aquilae, which is the end of the eagle̵7;s tail.

In the Southern Hemisphere

• 7

  Face northeast with the help of a compass. If you are in the southern hemisphere, Aquila is only visible from July to November due to its position in the middle of both north and south celestial poles.

• 8

  Measure two hand-spans from the edge of the horizon at around 8 p.m. and you will see Altair. Altair is the 12th brightest star in the sky and also the main star you can see in Aquila.

• 9

  Interpret the cluster of stars around Altair. Altair is positioned in the eagle̵7;s chest. With its wings spread out, it looks like a giant bird is flying downward towards the earth with the tail being the top part of the constellation.

• 10

  Refer to Steps 3 through to 6 of Section 1.