Big Dipper
The Big Dipper hangs in the northwest this evening, with its handle up high and its bowl below it, as though it were ready to take a dip from a celestial stream.
Moon in the Beehive
The Moon will pass through a “beehive” early tomorrow. It will cross in front of M44, the Beehive star cluster, in Cancer, the crab. They will be low in the eastern sky at first light. Binoculars will reveal several of the cluster’s stars.
Solar Twin
18 Scorpii, a star that is a near twin to the Sun, stands high in the southwest at nightfall, far above Antares, the heart of the scorpion. 18 Scorpii is a few degrees hotter than the Sun and a little bit brighter and more massive.
Neptune
Neptune, the Sun’s most remote major planet, is nearing its best showing of the year. It climbs into view in early evening, at the western edge of Aquarius. It’s so faint, though, that you need a telescope to see it.
Scorpion and Archer
Scorpius and Sagittarius are in the south at nightfall. Look for the curving body of the scorpion just above the horizon, with orange Antares in its middle. Sagittarius is to the left of the scorpion, with its brightest stars forming a teapot.
Moon and Aldebaran
Look for the face of the bull at dawn tomorrow, to the right of the Moon. The bright star close to the Moon is Aldebaran, the bull’s eye. It moves through the galaxy alone. The other stars in the V-shaped face are members of the Hyades star cluster.
Aquila
Aquila, the eagle, soars high across the sky tonight, partially immersed in the glow of the Milky Way. Look beginning about an hour after sunset, when Aquila and its brightest star, Altair, are halfway up the southeastern sky.
Vega
Vega, one of the closest and brightest stars in the night sky, stands straight overhead as darkness falls and drops to the northwest during the night. The name Vega comes from an Arabic name that means the eagle.
Merging Galaxies
Hercules is high in the western sky on August evenings. One of its most interesting features is NGC 6052, a pair of spiral galaxies in the process of merging. Through a telescope, the galaxies look like a pair of spiders locked in mortal combat.
Great Square
The Great Square of Pegasus stands low in the eastern sky at nightfall. It spans a large region, and is marked by the bright stars Alpheratz, Scheat, Markab, and Algenib.