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Great Square of Pegasus. We got this question: I'm having a difficult time being able to recognize the constellations of the Zodiac … do you have any advice?
• Yes … we can recommend a few things.
• First, the zodiacal constellations are the backdrop for the pathway of the sun around our sky each year, and of the moon for every month. Since the sun's path lies within these constellations, you know you can look for them along the approximate path that the sun follows during the day - from east to west across the sky.
• What is the ecliptic?
• Another thing you can do is to locate the signpost Summer Triangle high in the south to overhead at nightfall. As seen from the Northern Hemisphere, the ecliptic swings way below the Summer Triangle. An imaginary line drawn from the bright star Vega through the star Altair points in the general direction of Sagittarius, and a line drawn from Deneb through Altair escorts you to Capriciornus.
• As seen from the Southern Hemisphere, these same constellations of the Zodiac - Sagittarius and Capricornus - appear high in the sky instead of close to the horizon. As darkness falls, the Summer Triangle asterism appears "upside down" and low in the north to northwest sky.
• Learn also the Great Square of Pegasus asterism, found in the east to southeast sky on these October evenings. The Great Square can help guide you to the zodiacal constellations Aquarius and Pisces, as shown on the sky chart.
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