Moon and Aldebaran
The bull’s eye, represented by the star Aldebaran, follows the Moon as they climb the eastern sky in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. It is the bright orange star to the lower left of the Moon.
61 Cygni
61 Cygni, the first star to have its distance accurately measured, is in Cygnus, the swan, which is high in the east at nightfall. 61 Cygni is to the lower right of Deneb, the swan’s tail. Under dark skies, it’s just visible to the eye alone.
Pegasus
Pegasus, the flying horse, is in view in the east and northeast shortly after the sky gets completely dark. Look for the four stars forming the Great Square of Pegasus. The square is tilted as Pegasus rises, so it resembles a diamond.
M4
The globular star cluster M4 stands close to the right of Antares, the bright orange star in the south as darkness falls. The cluster contains tens of thousands of stars, but you need binoculars to pick it out.
Lammas
August 1 is the date of an ancient English festival, Lammas. It is a cross-quarter day, which falls roughly half way between a solstice and an equinox. Lammas was a day for celebrating the harvest. Priests blessed the bread made from the first grain.
Alkaid
The Big Dipper hangs by its handle on summer evenings, as though about to scoop up a dipperful of stars. The handle is anchored by Alkaid, a star that is much bigger, heavier, brighter, and hotter than the Sun.
Future North Star
About 2,000 years from now, Earth’s north pole will aim toward the star Gamma Cephei instead of Polaris, the current North Star. Gamma Cephei is one of the brightest stars of Cepheus, which is in the northeast this evening.
Vindemiatrix
Vindemiatrix, the third-brightest star of Virgo, is in the southwest at nightfall. It is far to the upper right of Spica, Virgo’s brightest star. Vindemiatrix is a bloated star that has completed the “normal” portion of its life.
Albireo
Albireo represents the beak of Cygnus, the swan, which is in good view on summer nights. The constellation is high in the east at nightfall, with its body parallel to the horizon. Bright Deneb is at the left end of the body, with Albireo at the right.
Moon and Mars
Mars and the full Moon stick close together tonight. Mars looks like a brilliant orange star, outshining all but the Moon and the planet Venus. It perches close to the lower right of the Moon at nightfall.