Mercury at Elongation
The little planet Mercury stands farthest from the Sun for its current evening appearance tonight. It looks like a fairly bright star quite low in the west as darkness falls.
Solar Highway
The “solar highway” curves low across the south on July evenings, outlining the path the Sun will follow during fall and winter. It is marked by some of the brightest objects in the night sky, including the planets Venus, Jupiter, and Mars.
Sagittarius
The constellation Sagittarius climbs low across the south on summer evenings. Its brightest stars form the outline of a teapot. The center of the Milky Way galaxy lies just above the spout of the teapot, about 27,000 light-years away.
Moon and Aldebaran
The crescent Moon will squeak past the bright star Aldebaran early tomorrow. They will be separated by just a degree or two as they climb into view a couple of hours before sunrise. From northern Minnesota, the Moon will pass in front of the star.
Summer Milky Way
Moon-free summer evenings are the best times of year to catch the splendor of the Milky Way. This hazy band of light represents the combined glow of millions of stars. They outline the disk of the Milky Way galaxy.
Venus and Regulus
The evening star has a date with the lion the next couple of nights. They are due west at nightfall. The “evening star” is Venus, our closest planetary neighbor. It will snuggle close to the star Regulus, the heart of Leo, the lion.
Far from the Sun
With the Sun beating down on the northern hemisphere, it’s hard to realize that we’re farthest from the Sun for the entire year today. We’re about a million and a half miles farther than the average distance of 93 million miles.
Mercury in the Evening
The planet Mercury is putting in a decent appearance in the early evening sky. It’s quite low as twilight fades, to the north of due west. It looks like a moderately bright star, far to the lower right of Venus, the “evening star.”
Northern Crown
A small semicircle of stars crowns the evening sky: Corona Borealis. It appears high overhead around 10 or 11 p.m. The crown’s brightest star is Alphecca, which means “bright one of the dish” – a reference to the constellation’s bowl shape.
16 Cygni
The binary system known as 16 Cygni is about 70 light-years away, in the constellation Cygnus, which is in the east and northeast in early evening. Both stars are nearly identical to the Sun, and one of them is orbited by a giant planet.