Leo, the celestial lion, is in the west as darkness falls. It is dropping toward the horizon head first, like a lion pouncing on its prey. Its brightest star, Regulus, is quite low in the sky. The slightly fainter planet Mars is well to the upper left of Regulus.
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 5: Vanishing Lion
July 6: Moon and Scorpius
The Moon will step on the head of the scorpion tonight. It will pass directly in front of one of the stars that outlines the head, blocking it from view. The star, Pi Scorpii, is actually a system of three stars about 600 light-years away.
July 7: Moon and Antares
Antares, the star that represents the heart of the scorpion, stands to the upper right of the Moon at nightfall. It will lead the Moon down the southwestern sky later on. The supergiant star is expected to explode as a supernova sometime in the next million years or so.
July 8: Stellar Ripples
Scorpius is low in the south at nightfall, to the right of the Moon. It's marked by the scorpion's "heart," the star Antares, which is the most prominent member of a giant complex of young, bright, massive stars that spans many light-years.
July 9: Giant Cluster
The largest globular star cluster in the galaxy, Omega Centauri, stands low in the south-southwest at nightfall for skywatchers in the far-southern United States. It looks like a tiny smudge of light. Binoculars reveal a few of its millions of stars.
July 10: Venus and Aldebaran
Venus and Aldebaran huddle close, low in the east at first light the next few days. Venus is the Morning Star, with fainter Aldebaran directly below it. Venus will slide to the lower left, and stand side by side with Aldebaran on Tuesday and Wednesday.
July 11: Stairsteps
Three tiny constellations stairstep up the eastern sky at nightfall. From bottom to top, they are Equuleus, the little horse; Delphinus, the dolphin; and Sagitta, the arrow. Under dark skies, both Delphinus and Sagitta are easy to pick out.