Vega: how to find it and when to see it
Vega ranks 5th of the 74 bright stars on our list, at magnitude 0.03, in the constellation Lyra.
You can see it from anywhere north of 51° S, and it's highest in the evening sky in August.
Vega at a glance
- Constellation
- Lyra
- Magnitude
- 0.03
- Rank on our list
- 5 of 74
- Hemisphere
- Northern
- Right ascension
- 18 h 37 min
- Declination
- 38.8° north
- Visible from
- north of 51° S
- Never sets
- north of 51° N
- Best evening
- August 15
- Name from
- Arabic
Where Vega is in the sky
Vega sits 38.8° north of the celestial equator, the line in the sky directly above Earth's equator, so it's in the northern half of the sky. Its right ascension is 18 h 37 min.
Right ascension works like longitude on the sky. It's counted in hours, and about one hour of it turns past you each hour of the night.
When and where to see Vega
From the northern hemisphere
From 40° N, the latitude of New York, Madrid and Beijing, Vega rises in the northeast, climbs to 89° above the horizon in the south and sets in the northwest.
It's in the evening sky from May to November, and it's highest in the evening around August 15, in summer.
From the southern hemisphere
From 34° S, the latitude of Sydney, Cape Town and Buenos Aires, Vega rises in the northeast, climbs to 17° above the horizon in the north and sets in the northwest.
It's in the evening sky from July to September, and it's highest in the evening around August 15, in winter.
How high Vega climbs from each latitude
The evening is about 9 pm local time, or 10 pm during daylight saving time, and later when the sky is still too bright. A star counts as in the evening sky when it's at least 10° above the horizon.
| Latitude | Visibility | Highest point | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60° N | Never sets | 69° in the south | Mar to Jan |
| 50° N | Rises and sets | 79° in the south | Apr to Dec |
| 40° N | Rises and sets | 89° in the south | May to Nov |
| 30° N | Rises and sets | 81° in the north | May to Nov |
| 20° N | Rises and sets | 71° in the north | May to Nov |
| Equator | Rises and sets | 51° in the north | Jun to Oct |
| 20° S | Rises and sets | 31° in the north | Jul to Sep |
| 34° S | Rises and sets | 17° in the north | Jul to Sep |
| 45° S | Rises and sets | 6° in the north | None |
What the name Vega means
Vega comes from the Arabic al-nasr al-wāqiʿ, the swooping eagle. Arab astronomers saw an eagle with folded wings in the stars of Lyra.
Keep the sky of a night that matters
Our star maps show the stars above any place, at the minute you choose, with the constellation lines drawn in. If Vega was above the horizon that night, it's on your map, and we print it on museum-grade paper.
Questions about Vega
Vega is in Lyra. It sits 38.8° north of the celestial equator, at a right ascension of 18 h 37 min.
Vega is highest in the evening sky around August 15. That's summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.
Yes, from anywhere north of 51° S. From 34° S, it climbs to 17° above the horizon in the north.
Vega has a magnitude of 0.03, which ranks it 5th of the 74 bright stars on our list. Sirius looks about 3.9 times brighter.
Vega comes from the Arabic al-nasr al-wāqiʿ, the swooping eagle. Arab astronomers saw an eagle with folded wings in the stars of Lyra.