Aquila, which occupies most of the center of the picture, is best marked by
bright (first magnitude) Altair at upper center, the star flanked by
two outliers (Alshain, to the left, and Tarazed right), which together give
the sense of the flying Eagle. (North is toward the upper right.)
The three stars
are actually depicted as marking the Eagle's back and neck.
A straight line passed through the three stars down and left
points to Theta Aquilae. Eta Aquilae is to the left and a bit
down from Theta; Delta is the second modestly bright
star below Tarazed, whereas Sigma is directly below Altair.
The Eagle's tail is indicated by the two stars at toward the upper right
that together are called Deneb al Okab (Zeta left, Epsilon right). 31
Aquilae lies not quite halfway between Tarzed and Deneb al Okab.
Chi Aquilae is the brighter of the two stars that lie on the line
from Altair through Tarazed. Altair lies at the southern apex of the Summer Triangle. Serpens (Serpens Cauda) ends at Alya, seen at lower right. In December of 1999, the constellation was graced by a naked eye nova.
