In the Sky This Month

The planet is shining like a bright golden star. In fact, it’s at its brightest for the entire year. Saturn is low in the southeast as night falls, scoots across the south during the night, and sets around sunrise.

Several of the biggest, heaviest stars in the galaxy dot the sky at nightfall. Deneb, the tail of Cygnus, the swan, is in the east-northeast. Antares, the orange heart of Scorpius, is in the south. Spica, the leading light of Virgo, is in the southwest.

Saturn is shining at its best right now. The planet rises at sunset and remains in the sky all night. It’s passing closest to us for the year, too, so it’s at its brightest. It is low in the southeast as darkness falls and looks like a bright golden star.

The little constellation Corona Borealis, the northern crown, stands high atop the sky as darkness falls tonight. This prominent semicircle of stars is wedged between the bigger constellations Bootes and Hercules.

Vega, the brightest star of Lyra, is in the east as darkness falls. The remains of a star that was once like Vega stand to its lower right. Known as the Ring Nebula, it’s visible through telescopes, which show a bright outer band with a dark core.

Vega, one of the brightest stars of summer nights, stands high in the east as darkness falls this evening. It’s the brightest member of the Summer Triangle, a wide pattern that’s easy to pick out even through the murky skies of a city.

On average, Earth is 93 million miles from the Sun. Over the year, though, that distance changes. Now, for example, we’re a million and a half miles farther than average. Tomorrow, in fact, Earth will be farthest from the Sun for the entire year.

The Moon will line up between Earth and the Sun today, blocking the Sun from view. Unfortunately, the eclipse will be visible only from parts of the southern hemisphere. The Sun will remain undimmed north of the equator.

Sagittarius is low in the southeast at nightfall, with its stars forming the outline of a teapot. Just to the upper right of the spout is a region known as Baade’s Window. It is unusually free of dust, providing a good view deep into the Milky Way.

Rasalhague, the “head” of the serpent bearer, is high in the southeast at nightfall. It’s at the head of the stick figure that outlines Ophiuchus, which looks like a coffee urn. It stretches to the right and lower right of Rasalhague.