Sometimes the stars align in interesting ways, making stargazing even more rewarding. One such example is the Spring Triangle, formed each spring by the stars Arcturus, Spica and Regulus. This bright triangle appears in late March and stays in the sky throughout spring and summer.
All of this works because of how the constellations seem to move — or more precisely, because of how the Earth moves around the Sun, which changes the visible constellations in the night sky. Arcturus, Spica and Regulus are the three brightest stars in the sky and are in the constellations Boötes, Virgo and Leo, respectively. As the Earth continues its rotation, these three triangles appear together in the night sky just after the spring equinox, giving the Spring triangle its name.
That should give skygazers plenty of time to check them out, especially if they’re already out looking for something else, like April’s Pink Moon or the upcoming series of meteor showers in 2026.
The Spring Triangle is formed by Arcturus, Spica and Regulus. The three formed a triangle in the night sky
How to find the Spring Triangle
To find the Spring triangle in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll want to wait until 10pm local time for the stars to rise above the eastern and southern horizons. The next step is to see the stars, then simply visualize the symbolic lines that form a triangle.
If you have trouble finding them, you can use an app like Star Walk on Android and iOS, or a web-based map like Stellarium.org or Time and Date’s Sky Map. Arcturus is arguably the easiest of the three to see as it is the fourth brightest star in the night sky. Spica and Regulus are 16 and 21, respectively.
The triangle will add to the southern sky in the middle of the night, so if you’re out later, you’ll want to look south rather than east. Regulus sets on the western horizon just before dawn, so if you’re an early bird, you’ll want to look in the southwestern or western sky to see it.
Another version of the Spring Triangle exists with Denebola instead of Regulus, forming an equilateral triangle.
The second Spring Triangle
Spica, Regulus and Arcturus make up the well-known Spring triangle because they are all very bright and easy to find in the night sky. But there is a second version of the Spring Triangle that uses the star Denebola instead of Regulus as the third point of the triangle.
These three make the triangle close to an equilateral triangle, so fans of symmetry can choose this version.
The only downside is that Denebola is not nearly as bright as Regulus and may be more difficult to see for novice stargazers. Denebola is in the constellation of Leo, so if you can find Leo, you can find both Regulus and Denebola.
The Teapot is another asterism that resembles a teapot. It appears during the summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Spring Triangle is what is known in astronomy as an asterism. Stars are simply patterns in the stars that astronomers saw and were named to bring order to the vast sea of glowing balls in the sky. All constellations are asterisms, and the most famous and well-known are the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. The Spring Triangle is another.
According to NASA, there are 88 asterisms in total, many with artistic names, including the Winter Circle, Winter Triangle, Summer Triangle and Teapot.
