Sagittarius

Teapot

Sagittarius Teapot

common observer pattern · high confidence

Sagittarius becomes a squat teapot pouring steam into the Milky Way. From Alberta it stays low, so choose a clear southern horizon and transparent summer night.

Central RA: 18^h 39^m 40.1^s
Central Dec: −27° 41′ 29″
Brightest member: V 1.85
Best months from 50°N: June–September evenings
Suggested instrument: naked-eye
Approx. span: 14.1°

Finder context

Use the nearby bright stars to locate the gold box, then move to the larger chart for the pattern itself.

Framing: Approximate member-star span: 14.1°; use at least 19.7° field for context.

Observing and imaging

Naked eye

Very low from 50°N: it culminates only about 12° above the southern horizon. Choose a flat, haze-free southern view and observe near transit.

Binoculars

Binoculars help against horizon haze, but atmospheric extinction this low dims and reddens the stars; pick a transparent night and a low southern horizon.

Small scope

Use binoculars for this low-horizon target.

Imaging

Frame a 20° field around Sagittarius to include the pattern and its nearby stars.

Tonight from your latitude

Set your location and date to see a useful window, peak altitude, sky visibility, and Moon conditions. Use Month to compare the season ahead.

Latitude 50°NLongitude -114°Date Month Sky darkness Bortle 4 · limit V 6.1

Naked-eye visibility by sky class

Bortle class rates night-sky brightness. The atlas counts a pattern as recognisable when at least 70% of its defining stars are visible.

Bortle 3: 8/8 stars — fully visibleBortle 5: 8/8 stars — fully visibleBortle 7: 8/8 stars — fully visible

Moon impact

For 50°N in the best month, green dates mark at least two hours with the pattern above 20° and the Moon below the horizon.

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Member stars

Name	Bayer / Flamsteed	HR	RA J2000	Dec J2000	V mag
Kaus Australis	20Eps Sgr	HR 6879	18^h 24^m 10.3^s	−34° 23′ 05″	1.85
Nunki	34Sig Sgr	HR 7121	18^h 55^m 15.9^s	−26° 17′ 48″	2.02
Ascella	38Zet Sgr	HR 7194	19^h 02^m 36.7^s	−29° 52′ 49″	2.60
Kaus Media	19Del Sgr	HR 6859	18^h 20^m 59.7^s	−29° 49′ 41″	2.70
Kaus Borealis	22Lam Sgr	HR 6913	18^h 27^m 58.2^s	−25° 25′ 18″	2.81
Phi Sagittarii	27Phi Sgr	HR 7039	18^h 45^m 39.4^s	−26° 59′ 27″	3.17
Tau Sagittarii	40Tau Sgr	HR 7234	19^h 06^m 56.4^s	−27° 40′ 14″	3.32
13Mu Sgr	13Mu Sgr	HR 6812	18^h 13^m 45.8^s	−21° 03′ 32″	3.86

Source and confidence

common observer pattern; high confidence. A commonly used constellation-part or seasonal guide pattern.

Citations

Bright Star Catalogue, 5th Revised Ed.: Hoffleit, D. & Warren, W.H. Jr. (1991). Positions, V magnitudes, Bayer/Flamsteed identifiers. source
Star Tales: Ridpath, I. Constellation and asterism notes used to cross-check common sky-pattern names. source
The Hipparcos and Tycho Catalogues: ESA SP-1200 (1997). Used as the modern astrometric reference named by the atlas; the MVP pages expose BSC5 J2000 fields for the plotted bright-star members.