The Milky Way is a lot easier to find in the autumn than in the summer. You don’t have to hunt for it. If you are outside tonight around 9 p.m. Just look up. The Milky Way is overhead. It crosses through our zenith.

The brightest star overhead is Vega in the constellation Lyra, a small harp. Vega can be your guide. Find Vega and with a little bit of hard looking you will see that the Milky Way cloud passes nearby.

Vega is near the constellation Cygnus, the swan. There is more texture to the Milky Way in Cygnus than almost any other constellation and tonight the constellation is overhead.

Follow the Milky Way to due south and you’ll see the two zodiacal constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius. Astronomers have known for quite a while that Sagittarius is the center of our Milky Way. There is texture to the brightness of those millions of stars you see. There is more texture to the Milky Way cloud than in Cygnus, but Sagittarius is so close to the horizon it is hard sight to see.

The Milky Way extends northward from overhead. It passes through Cassiopeia, a constellation just above the northeastern horizon. Cassiopeia is a giant “W.”