Lyra
The Lyre
Happiness
The first-magnitude stars lined up here, from right to left, are Vega in Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus, and Altair in Aquila. According to Hōei Nojiri, Vega is celebrated as the "Queen of the Summer Night." These three stars form the well-known "Summer Triangle."
Let's take a closer look at each star:
- Vega: 30 times brighter than the Sun, located 25 light-years away.
- Deneb: 54,000 times brighter than the Sun, located 1,400 light-years away.
- Altair: 10 times brighter than the Sun, located 17 light-years away.
All three stars appear bluish-white because they are hotter than the Sun. However, due to its proximity, Vega appears the brightest. In fact, Vega is the fifth brightest first-magnitude star in the night sky.
The brightest first-magnitude star is Sirius in Canis Major. However, in the distant future, Vega is expected to outshine Sirius. That’s not all—about 12,000 years from now, Vega will also take the place of the current North Star. This may sound a bit complicated, but it is due to a phenomenon called axial precession, where the Earth's rotational axis gradually shifts over time, causing changes in the position of the North Star.
The image on the left shows stars revolving around the current North Star, while the image on the right shows stars revolving around Vega, which will become the North Star in the future.
This is Messier 57 (M57), a planetary nebula located in the constellation Lyra. It is also known as the "Ring Nebula," the "Annular Nebula," or even the "Donut Nebula." Its vivid colors are truly captivating.
Sisask’s image for Lyra is "Happiness."
This piece may be the most beautiful and accessible in the Starry Sky Cycle – Northern Sky. Its translucent tones seem to carry whispers from the universe itself. Don’t you feel happiness when you take a moment to close your eyes and focus on sensing what is invisible or listening for what is inaudible?
Vega teaches us to imagine the new changes that the future may bring.
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