Auriga Constellation Guide — Stars, the Charioteer, and How to Find Capella
Telescope Advisor Logo Telescope Advisor
A star-filled winter night sky — the backdrop for locating the Auriga constellation and its bright star Capella

Constellation Guide · Winter Sky

Auriga Constellation Guide — Stars, the Charioteer, and How to Find Capella

Auriga is one of the most recognisable winter constellations, anchored by Capella — the sixth-brightest star in the entire night sky. The Charioteer hosts a rich collection of open star clusters, including three Messier objects visible in binoculars. This guide covers everything you need to find and observe Auriga.

Brightest starCapella (mag 0.08)
Size rank21st of 88 constellations
Best seasonDecember – March
Notable objectM36, M37, M38 clusters
By Elena Reyes Published: Updated: Reviewed & approved by Juhi Sahni, Senior Editor Editorial Standards

How to Find Auriga in the Night Sky

Auriga is one of the easiest constellations to locate because it contains Capella, the sixth-brightest star in the sky at apparent magnitude 0.08. On winter evenings, Capella appears high overhead for mid-northern latitudes — look nearly straight up around 9 p.m. in January and February. The constellation forms a distinctive pentagon shape, with Capella marking the Charioteer's left shoulder, and the five-pointed asterism extending southward toward the feet of the Charioteer.

The easiest way to verify you have found Auriga is to locate the Kids — a small, tight triangle of three stars (Epsilon, Zeta, and Eta Aurigae) just south of Capella. This distinctive asterism represents the three young goats that the Charioteer carries on his arm. Once you spot the Kids, you have confirmed Auriga. From mid-northern latitudes, Auriga is visible from October through April, with peak evening visibility from December through March when it reaches its highest point around midnight.

Key Stars of Auriga

StarDesignationMagnitudeDistanceNotes
CapellaAlpha Aurigae0.0842.9 lySixth-brightest star. Binary system of two yellow giants.
MenkalinanBeta Aurigae1.982 lyBinary star, forms the Charioteer's right shoulder.
Al AnzEpsilon Aurigae2.92,000 lyFamous eclipsing binary with a 27-year orbit.
Hoedus IIZeta Aurigae3.8770 lyPart of the Kids asterism. Eclipsing binary.
Hoedus IEta Aurigae3.2220 lyCompletes the Kids triangle. Blue-white main sequence.

Capella's name derives from the Latin for "little she-goat," reflecting the ancient association between Auriga and a goatherd or charioteer carrying goats. At magnitude 0.08, Capella is the brightest star in the northern hemisphere after Vega and Arcturus, making it a reliable reference point for winter navigation. Despite appearing as a single star to the naked eye, Capella is actually a spectroscopic binary composed of two yellow giant stars (both type G) orbiting each other every 104 days at a distance roughly equivalent to the orbit of Venus around our Sun. The secondary star is slightly cooler and fainter but still shines at magnitude +1.3 — if it were isolated, it would still be one of the brightest stars in the winter sky.

The Mythology of Auriga

Auriga represents a charioteer holding a pair of goats in his left arm. The brightest star Capella represents the she-goat Amalthea, who in Greek mythology nursed the infant Zeus (Jupiter) on Crete. The Kids asterism represents her offspring. The charioteer himself has been identified with several figures in Greek myth, most commonly Erichthonius, the legendary king of Athens who invented the four-horse chariot and was later placed among the stars by Athena.

Auriga also connects to the story of Myrtilus, the charioteer of King Oenomaus, whose betrayal during the famous chariot race of Pelops led to his death and subsequent placement in the sky. Regardless of which myth one follows, the constellation's ancient origins are clear: Mesopotamian star catalogues from the second millennium BCE already included a figure described as "the Charioteer" occupying the same region of sky. The star Capella was associated with the god Enki (Ea), ruler of the watery abyss, whose connection to the goat-fish hybrid may have influenced the later zodiac sign Capricornus.

Deep-Sky Objects in Auriga

Auriga's location directly in the Milky Way means it is rich with open star clusters. The constellation contains three Messier clusters and a spectacular emission nebula that reward observers with modest equipment.

M36 — The Pinwheel Cluster

At magnitude 6.3, M36 is visible in binoculars as a bright, compact patch of stars. In a 4-inch telescope at 60×, the cluster resolves into 40–50 stars arranged in a distinctive pinwheel pattern spanning 12 arcminutes. M36 lies approximately 4,100 light-years away and is estimated to be 25 million years old — relatively young by globular cluster standards. The brightest stars are blue-white spectral types B, giving the cluster a distinctly youthful appearance. This is the brightest and easiest of Auriga's three Messier clusters to observe.

M37 — The Richest Auriga Cluster

M37 is the finest of Auriga's open clusters. At magnitude 5.6, it is visible as a fuzzy patch to the naked eye under dark skies. Binoculars reveal a rich, dense grouping of stars, while a 6-inch telescope at 80× resolves over 100 stars across 15 arcminutes. M37 contains an estimated 500 stars and is approximately 4,500 light-years away. Its age, estimated at 350 million years, makes it significantly older than M36 — this is evident in the reddish tint of several of its evolved giant stars visible in larger telescopes. Many observers consider M37 the most impressive open cluster in the northern winter sky after the Pleiades.

M38 — The Starfish Cluster

M38 shines at magnitude 7.4 and is visible in binoculars as a faint glow. In a 6-inch telescope at 80×, the cluster reveals 60–80 stars arranged in a sparse, cross-like pattern spanning 21 arcminutes — nearly the apparent diameter of the full Moon. M38 is about 4,200 light-years away and is the most distant of the three Auriga Messier clusters. A 10mm eyepiece at 80× provides the best framing, with the cluster fitting comfortably in the field of view. Star counts in deep photographs exceed 100 members, but visual observers will see the brighter members arranged in the distinctive pattern that gives the cluster its nickname.

IC 405 — The Flaming Star Nebula

The Flaming Star Nebula surrounds the variable star AE Aurigae, a runaway star that was ejected from the Orion Nebula star-forming region approximately 2.7 million years ago. At magnitude 6.0, the nebula itself is challenging — it requires dark skies and an O-III or UHC filter to see. A 6-inch telescope at 50× with a filter shows a large, faint arc of nebulosity extending roughly 30 arcminutes around the star. The nebula's red colour comes from hydrogen-alpha emission, which is why it shows best through filters that isolate that wavelength. AE Aurigae itself varies between magnitudes 5.8 and 6.1 and is easily visible in binoculars as a blue-white star near M38.

Observing Auriga with Binoculars

Auriga is a superb constellation for binocular observers. A pair of 10×50 binoculars reveals all three Messier clusters (M36, M37, M38) as distinct fuzzy patches in a single field of view — a rare treat in binocular astronomy. Start at Capella and sweep south: M38 appears first, followed by M36, with M37 sitting slightly east. The Kid's triangle is easily resolved as three distinct stars. Under dark skies (Bortle 4 or better), binoculars also show the faint glow of the Milky Way's winter branch stretching through the constellation. For astronomy binoculars recommendations, see our best astronomy binoculars guide.



Observing Auriga with a Telescope

Auriga is one of the winter sky's most rewarding telescopic targets. The three Messier open clusters offer distinct personalities — M36 is compact and bright, M37 is rich and star-dense, and M38 is wide and sparse with a distinctive cross pattern. A wide-field eyepiece at 50× fits all three clusters plus the Flaming Star Nebula region in a single sweep. This is a region best explored at low power with a rich-field telescope. A 6-inch Dobsonian at 40–60× reveals each cluster's individual character: the bright blue-white stars of M36, the dense, brighter-rich core of M37, and the expansive, cross-like pattern of M38. For telescope recommendations, see our best deep-sky telescopes guide.

The Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405) is a more challenging but rewarding target. At 50× with an O-III filter under Bortle 4 skies, the nebula appears as a faint but distinct arc of nebulosity wrapping around AE Aurigae. On excellent nights, the larger IC 410 (the Tadpoles Nebula) near M38 is also detectable with the same filter — a very large, very faint emission region that rewards patient observers with large-aperture scopes.



Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Auriga constellation in the sky?

Auriga is in the northern winter sky, between Taurus to the south and Perseus to the north. It is high overhead on winter evenings for mid-northern latitudes, anchored by the brilliant star Capella.

When is Auriga best visible?

Auriga is best visible from December through March, when it reaches its highest point in the sky around midnight. It is circumpolar from latitudes above 40°N, meaning it never fully sets.

What is the brightest star in Auriga?

Capella (Alpha Aurigae) is the brightest at magnitude 0.08 — the sixth-brightest star in the night sky. It is a spectroscopic binary system of two yellow giant stars 42.9 light-years away.

What does the name Capella mean?

Capella comes from Latin for "little she-goat," reflecting the constellation's ancient association with a goatherd or charioteer carrying goats across the sky.

What deep-sky objects are in Auriga?

Auriga contains three Messier open clusters: M36 (Pinwheel Cluster, mag 6.3), M37 (the richest, mag 5.6, visible to the naked eye), and M38 (Starfish Cluster, mag 7.4). The Flaming Star Nebula IC 405 is visible with an O-III filter.

Can you see Auriga with the naked eye?

Yes — Capella is one of the brightest stars in the sky. The pentagon shape of Auriga is easily visible under dark skies, and M37 is faintly visible to the naked eye under Bortle 3 or better.