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Stars and Sticks| Abbreviation | Tri |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Triangle |
| Pronunciation Guide is based on “Pronouncing Astronomical Names,” published in 1943 by the American Astronomical Society. | try-ANG-gyuh-lum |
| Genitive The genitive is the Latin possessive form used in star names. For example, Alpha Orionis means “the Alpha of Orion.” | try-ANG-gyuh-lye |
| Best Month | December |
| Visibility | Northern |
| Origin | AncientThese figures are rooted in the classical Greek and Mesopotamian traditions cataloged by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. |
| Author | PtolemyPtolemy, a 2nd-century Greco-Egyptian astronomer, cataloged the 48 classical constellations in his landmark work, the Almagest. These form the core of the 88 modern constellations recognized today. |
| Type | constellation |
| Difficulty | Challenging |
| Description | The Triangle is one of the smallest constellations and one of the most ancient — recognized by the Greeks as 'Deltoton' for its resemblance to the letter delta, associated with the triangular Nile Delta or the island of Sicily. Despite its small size the constellation contains the Triangulum Galaxy (M33) — the third largest member of our Local Group of galaxies after the Milky Way and Andromeda, about 2.7 million light-years away. Under dark skies it is one of the most distant objects visible to the naked eye — a remarkable fact for such a modest constellation. The brightest star, Mothallah (Alpha Trianguli), is a yellow-white subgiant about 63 light-years away. |
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Images: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/E. Slawik · IAU and Sky & Telescope · Stellarium — Full credits →
