Moonlight Tolerant Stars (evening)

Only the brightest stars are visible to our unaided eyes on moonlight-flooded nights. Early on Thursday evening, November 21, the very bright star Vega in the constellation of Lyra the Harp will be descending the western sky. At magnitude 0.0, it’s the 5^th brightest star in the entire sky (not counting our sun). The star Altair in Aquila the Eagle shining several fist diameters to Vega’s left has a magnitude value of 0.75, making it the 13^th brightest star. Deneb in Cygnus the Swan will be located above and between the other two, rounding out the trio of hot white stars that form the Summer Triangle asterism. At magnitude 1.25, Deneb ranks 20^th in brightness. Observers with a very low southwestern horizon might be able to see Fomalhaut, ranked 18^th, in Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish. Over in the east, very bright yellowish Capella (ranked 6^th) in Auriga will be shining to the upper left of reddish Aldebaran (ranked 14^th), marking the eye of Taurus the Bull.