From Dark Skiesīright outdoor lighting can make it hard to see all but the brightest stars. Stay out late to see the ringed planet Saturn rising in the east after 11pm early in July, and just after 9pm as August begins. Look for a slim crescent Moon near Mars on July 20. Because Venus is closer to the Sun than Earth is, we can regularly see that Venus has a day side and a night side. You won’t see mountains or craters or even cloud formations - but you will see that Venus looks like a crescent Moon. If you have a telescope take a close look at Venus. Mars will continue to move through Leo, but after the 10th, Venus will quickly start to set earlier and earlier and will become increasingly hard to see, getting lost in the glow of sunset by the last full week of the month. On the 10th of July, Mars and Regulus will appear very close to each other. Through the first week of July, moves toward the star Regulus in spring constellation Leo the Lion. Mars is much fainter, but can be found just above and to the left of Venus as the month begins. Watch low in the west just after sunset throughout the month for the changing positions of the planets Mars and Venus. To ancient civilizations it may have looked like a mythical centaur holding a bow and arrow, but to modern stargazers it looks a lot more like a teapot. Just to the east of Scorpius is Sagittarius the Archer. Look for a gibbous Moon near Antares on July 28. The red star Antares marks the heart of the scorpion. ![]() Low in the south is the hook-shaped constellation Scorpius the Scorpion low in the south. They just happen to appear extremely close to each other from our vantage point on Earth. Not only that, but the two stars are different colors, one blue and one yellow! Recent analysis of the two stars’ motion suggests that unlike many double stars, these two stars are not in orbit around each other. A small telescope reveals that there are really two stars there, appearing very close to each other. Look closely for the fairly unremarkable white colored star Albireo that marks the head of Cygnus. Viewers with darker skies might find the fainter stars that make up the three constellations of the Triangle: Cygnus the Swan, Aquila the Eagle, and Lyra the Harp. Look to the east for the three bright stars that make up the Summer Triangle. Look for a nearly first quarter Moon not far from Spica on July 24. Even under dark skies away from city lights, it’s hard to imagine these mythological figures just by connecting the dots. Neither of these constellations has any other bright stars. ![]() Then speed on to Spica, the single bright star in Virgo the Maiden. This group of stars is also officially known as Ursa Minor the Little Bear.įollow the curved handle of the Big Dipper to trace an ‘arc’ to Arcturus, the orange colored star in Boötes the Herdsman. Polaris is at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper. When you face the North Star, you’re facing due north. Polaris is not a particularly bright star, but it does remain fixed in the sky throughout the night and throughout the year. Use the two stars at the end of the Dipper’s bowl to lead you to Polaris, also known as the North Star. Ursa Major the Great Bear is the official constellation here, but you’ll need dark skies to see its fainter stars. It’s a familiar name for this pattern of stars, especially used by observers in the United States, but it’s not one of the 88 constellations recognized by astronomers worldwide. The Big Dipper is not officially a constellation it’s what astronomers sometimes call an asterism. Connect the dots to imagine a big spoon or ladle high above. In the early summer, the Big Dipper is easy to find, high in the northwest after sunset.
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