Tonight over Calgary, 8 of the bright, easy-to-spot constellations climb high into a dark sky. Here's what's up, how high, and which way to face.
DARK-SKY WINDOW TONIGHT · CALGARY
Dark by11:56 PM
Until5:21 AM
High up now8
Never rise here7
Altitudes computed for Calgary (51.0°, -114.1°) during tonight's dark hours.
High in the sky over Calgary tonight
76° UPLyrathe Lyre
Looksouthern sky
Anchor starVega
How to know itSmall but led by Vega, one of the brightest stars in the sky and a corner of the Summer Triangle.
74° UPCygnusthe Swan / the Northern Cross
Looksouth-eastern sky
Anchor starDeneb
How to know itA great cross of stars flying down the summer Milky Way, with brilliant Deneb at its tail.
63° UPBoötesthe Herdsman
Looksouth-western sky
Anchor starArcturus
How to know itA kite-shaped figure led by Arcturus, the brightest star of the northern spring sky.
47° UPUrsa Majorthe Great Bear / the Big Dipper
Looknorth-western sky
Anchor starAlioth
How to know itHome to the Big Dipper (the Plough), whose two end stars point to Polaris, the North Star.
43° UPCassiopeiathe Queen
Looknorth-eastern sky
Anchor starSchedar
How to know itA bright "W" or "M" of five stars, circling the north pole opposite the Big Dipper — useful for finding north.
41° UPAquilathe Eagle
Looksouthern sky
Anchor starAltair
How to know itBright Altair completes the Summer Triangle with Vega and Deneb, straddling the celestial equator.
34° UPPegasusthe Winged Horse
Lookeastern sky
Anchor starMarkab
How to know itThe "Great Square" of Pegasus is a big, easy autumn signpost high in the eastern sky.
31° UPAndromedathe Chained Princess
Looknorth-eastern sky
Anchor starAlpheratz
How to know itHome to the Andromeda Galaxy — the most distant thing visible to the naked eye, a faint smudge on a dark night.
“Up” is the highest the centre of each pattern gets above the horizon tonight — your fist at arm's length spans about 10°. Directions are where to face when it's best placed.
Low on the horizon from Calgary
These clear the horizon but stay low, so trees and buildings may hide them: Leo (~18°, western) · Perseus (~17°, north-eastern) · Sagittarius (~11°, southern) · Scorpius (~9°, southern).
Out of reach from Calgary
At Calgary's latitude these never climb above the horizon, so you can't see them from here at any time of year: Gemini, Taurus, Centaurus, Crux, Orion, Canis Major, Carina. To catch them, you'd need to travel toward the Southern Hemisphere.