How to Find and Identify the Zodiac Constellation Libra

Pick a dark and crystal clear night in late spring or early summer in the northern hemisphere. There are no bright stars whatsoever in this constellation, making it hard to find and identify under the best of circumstances.

Find the scorpion of the skies to locate Libra. The constellation Scorpius is used as a guide to find Libra. Containing the red giant star Antares, Scorpius hangs close to the horizon and resembles a scorpion. Libra was part of Scorpius until early Roman astronomers took the “scorpion’s claws” and grouped them into the scales instead. Once you find Scorpius, look to the right of it--this is the area where Libra is.

Look for a triangle of dim stars. This is the upper part of the scales that connects the two balances. It is tilted on its side with the longest side of the triangle facing Scorpius, which would be to Libra's left. Remember, the scales aren’t hanging straight down but off to the left.

Imagine the two scales hanging off the triangle at an angle. The rest of Libra’s stars are even fainter than the ones that make up the triangle. They extend outward from two of the stars on the triangle’s base. There are three stars that comprise one of the scales on the upper part and two that make up the scales on the lower one.