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Cygnus
Cygnus, the swan, soars high overhead on summer nights. It’s in the east and northeast in early evening. The swan’s body is roughly parallel to the horizon, with its wings extended above and below. The bright star Deneb marks its tail, with the double star Albireo at its beak.
Morning Jupiter
Jupiter is staging a grand appearance in the early morning sky. The solar system’s largest planet is in the east at dawn, and looks like a brilliant star. In all the night sky, only the Moon and the planet Venus outshine it.
Moon and Regulus
Regulus, the brightest star of Leo, is close to the Moon tonight. Regulus is a system of four stars. But one of them, known as, Regulus Aa, gets all of the attention. It’s much bigger, brighter, and heavier than the Sun, and it’s the only member of the system we can see without a telescope.
Summer Moon
Summer arrives today at 9:58 a.m. CDT, which is the moment of the June solstice. For the northern hemisphere, the Sun stands highest in the sky for the entire year. The solstice is the longest day of the year, so there’s more time to enjoy our high-climbing star.
Moon and Companions
The Moon has some prominent companions the next few nights. Tonight, Venus, the Evening Star, stands to its upper left. Fainter orange Mars is farther along the same line, with Regulus, the heart of the lion, farther still. The twins of Gemini are close to the lower right of the Moon.