Auriga Constellation Guide: Capella, Star Charts & Finding It
A factual guide to the Auriga constellation: Capella's brightness and magnitude, how to trace the Charioteer's pentagon shape, and how Auriga appears on star charts.
The Auriga Constellation: A Reference Guide to Capella and the Charioteer
Auriga is one of the easier constellations to identify once you know what to look for, and it contains one of the brightest stars in the entire night sky. This reference article covers the constellation's brightest star and its magnitude, how to trace its outline, and how it appears on star charts.
What Is the Auriga Constellation?
Auriga is a northern constellation, conventionally translated as "the Charioteer." It lies along the northern Milky Way and is bordered by constellations including Perseus, Taurus, Gemini, Lynx, Camelopardalis, and Andromeda. Astronomers recognize it among the 88 modern constellations, and it also appears in the classical list compiled in the second century.
Key facts at a glance:
- Standard abbreviation: Aur
- Genitive form used in star designations: Aurigae
- Location: northern celestial hemisphere, along the Milky Way
- Best-known star: Capella, designated Alpha Aurigae
- Shape: a rough pentagon or kite, often described as a charioteer's outline
Capella: The Brightest Star in Auriga
Capella, or Alpha Aurigae, is the brightest star in Auriga and a fixture of the northern winter sky. Its apparent magnitude is roughly +0.08, which places it among the brightest stars visible from Earth. Apparent magnitude is a brightness scale in which lower numbers mean brighter objects.
Capella is not a single star but a multiple system. Its dominant component is a pair of yellow giant stars in a close orbit, and the system is often described as a spectroscopic binary. Because it sits relatively high in the northern sky for many observers, Capella can be seen for much of the year from mid-northern latitudes.
The Kids: Auriga's Secondary Stars
Near Capella, three fainter stars form a small triangle known as "the Kids." These are Epsilon Aurigae, Zeta Aurigae, and Eta Aurigae. Epsilon Aurigae is notable because it is an eclipsing binary that dims noticeably over long cycles, a feature that has made it a subject of sustained observation.
Finding Auriga's Shape in the Night Sky
Auriga is most often located by starting from familiar winter patterns. A practical sequence:
- Find Orion and follow the line of Orion's Belt upward toward Taurus.
- Continue past the bright star Aldebaran and look for a very bright star high overhead; this is Capella.