Sagittarius
What is Sagittarius?
Constellations· Summer, south (N) · the Teapot · galactic centre. The centre of our galaxy lies this way. Find the bright Teapot — the 'steam' rising from its spout is the densest part of the Milky Way.
📍 Visible from where you are right now — computed in your browser
bearing · altitude · rise time · best time tonight
Where Sagittarius is in your sky right now: https://nowsky.org/solar/sky?sel=con:Sagittarius — location and time set automatically, no login.
Stars of the figure
| Star | Magnitude |
|---|---|
| Kaus Australis | 1.8 |
| Nunki | 2.0 |
| Albaldah | 2.9 |
| Eta Sagittarii | 3.1 |
The 4 brightest of the 12 stars used in the figure (13 lines). Lower magnitude means brighter.
Deep-sky objects near this constellation
Constellation basics
| Season | summer, south |
|---|---|
| Shape | the eight-star Teapot |
| Note | toward the galactic centre |
Figures are representative approximations. Source: compiled from NASA and IAU public data.
Frequently asked
- When can I see Sagittarius?
- summer, south.
- What is notable about Sagittarius?
- toward the galactic centre.
- What is the brightest star in Sagittarius?
- Kaus Australis, magnitude 1.8.
- Where is Sagittarius in the sky right now?
- Open the sky view for your location and time and it shows the position in the sky right now.
The galaxy being swallowed behind Sagittarius
In 1994 a small galaxy was found in the direction of Sagittarius, 70,000 light-years away on the far side of the galactic centre. The Sagittarius Dwarf, caught by the Milky Way, has circled it for billions of years and is being torn apart; the stars pulled from it trail in a long stream that wraps once around the whole sky. Hidden behind the star clouds of the Milky Way, it escaped notice for a long time.
Some studies suggest that each time this galaxy passed through the Milky Way's disk it set the disk rippling and triggered bursts of star formation near the Sun. Looking toward Sagittarius, then, we see not only the galactic centre but the scene of our galaxy consuming a neighbour. The dwarf cannot be seen by eye, yet its stream of stars crosses the entire sky as far as the northern constellations.
The constellation in depth
Don't try to see the archer — find the Teapot: eight clear stars with handle, lid and spout, set in the summer south.
The 'steam' rising from the spout is the thickest of the Milky Way — 26,000 light-years beyond lies Sagittarius A*, our galaxy's central black hole. The Lagoon and Trifid nebulae crowd the same field.
The Sun passes through each December (the winter solstice point). Turn on the Milky Way in Sky view and look this way — you can feel that we sit inside the disk, looking at its heart.
The steam rising from the Teapot's spout is the actual glow of the Milky Way's core. Fifteen Messier objects crowd this region — the Lagoon, Trifid, and Omega nebulae among them — enough to fill a night with just binoculars. The trick is finding a clear southern horizon on a summer evening.
Related
Figures are representative approximations. Simulated positions use J2000 mean elements.