In the Sky This Month

Look for Saturn to the upper right of the Moon as night falls. The solar system’s second-largest planet looks like a bright star. The brighter (and larger) planet Jupiter is to the right of Saturn.

Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, appears near the Moon tonight. It looks like a brilliant star. Four of Jupiter’s moons are visible through binoculars, arrayed like tiny stars near the giant planet.

The planets Jupiter and Saturn line up to the left of the Moon this evening. Jupiter is by far the brighter of the two worlds, although Saturn is hard to miss as well. The Moon will sweep past the planets over the following couple of nights.

Altair is the brightest star of Aquila, the eagle. In fact, the name “Altair” means “the flying eagle.” The star is high in the southeast at nightfall, at the lower right corner of the bright, widespread Summer Triangle.

The Moon is in the southwest this evening, with Antares, the heart of the scorpion, nearby. The Sun illuminates about half of the lunar hemisphere that faces our way. The angle of sunlight makes it easy to see the light and dark markings on the lunar surface.

Several supergiant stars highlight the sky tonight. Blue-white Spica is low in the west at nightfall, with orange Antares in the south-southwest. And before dawn tomorrow, orange Betelgeuse climbs into view in the east.

Three small constellations stairstep up the east as night falls. The easiest to spot is Delphinus, the dolphin, which really does resemble its namesake. Equuleus, the little horse, is directly below the dolphin, with Sagitta, the arrow, above Delphinus.

Spica, the brightest star of Virgo, stands to the lower left of the Moon at nightfall. The bright star we see as Spica is likely to end its life with a titanic blast known as a supernova, which will leave behind a tiny stellar corpse known as a neutron star.

The Summer Triangle stands high overhead this evening, with the Coat Hanger Cluster near its center. Binoculars reveal six stars in a line, which form the hanger’s cross bar, while four others curl away from the bar to form the hook.

Scutum, the shield, is in the south at nightfall, above teapot-shaped Sagittarius. It contains several star clusters that are among the most impressive in the galaxy. The clusters are veiled by clouds of dust, however, so they are hidden from view.