Two bright cousins of Antares, the heart of the scorpion, skitter to its lower right this evening. Alpha and Beta Lupi, the brightest stars of Lupus, the wolf, belong to the same complex of stars and star-making ingredients that gave birth to Antares.
Weekly Stargazing Tips
Provided by StarDate.org. Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally, for Alaska and Hawaii).
July 12: Lupus
July 13: Scutum
The constellation Scutum poses to the upper left of teapot-shaped Sagittarius as night falls. Under dark skies, you can see that it is enwrapped in the hazy veil of the Milky Way.
July 14: Dumbbell Nebula
The Dumbbell Nebula, a colorful bubble of gas expelled by a dying star, is in Vulpecula, the fox, which is in the east at nightfall. The nebula is about halfway between Deneb and Altair, the stars that mark the bottom of the Summer Triangle.
July 15: Moon and Saturn
The planet Saturn appears near the Moon early tomorrow. It looks like a bright star with a hint of golden color just below the Moon at dawn. The planet fades from view as the sky brightens.
July 16: Morning Trio
A bright trio lines up low in the east at first light tomorrow. The brightest member is Venus, the Morning Star, with the star Aldebaran close to its upper right. The star cluster NGC 1647 is closer to the right of Venus, but you need binoculars to see it.
July 17: Last-Quarter Moon
The Moon is at last quarter at 7:39 p.m. CDT. The Moon lines up at a right angle to the line from Earth to the Sun, so sunlight illuminates half of the lunar hemisphere that faces our way.
July 18: Aquila
A great eagle soars high overhead on summer nights: the constellation Aquila. Its brightest star, Altair, forms the lower right point of the summer triangle. Look for the wide triangle of bright stars high in the east in the early evening.