Two stars that form the scorpion's "stinger" peek above the southern horizon on summer nights. The stars are Lambda and Upsilon Scorpii. Lambda is the brighter of the two.
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).
June 25: The Stinger
June 26: Moon and Antares
Antares, the heart of the scorpion, is quite near the Moon tonight. Antares is more than a dozen times the mass of the Sun and tens of thousands of times brighter. In the next million years it's likely to explode as a supernova.
June 27: Altair
Altair is one of the highlights of summer. It's at one point of the Summer Triangle, and it's the twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It's in the east at nightfall, well to the lower right of the triangle's other bright members.
June 28: Tarazed
Tarazed, the second-brightest star of Aquila, the eagle, is a small fraction the age of the Sun, but because it's more massive it has puffed up to become a red giant. It is low in the east at nightfall, close above brighter Altair.
June 29: Full Moon
The Moon is full today at 6:56 p.m. CDT. The full Moon of June is known as the Flower Moon, Strawberry Moon, Rose Moon, or Honey Moon. It's also called the Short-Night Moon, because it is in view for less time than any other full Moon of the year.
June 30: Deneb
Deneb, the bright star that marks the tail of the swan, is far bigger, heavier, and brighter than the Sun. It stands a third of the way up the northeastern sky at nightfall, at the left end of the "cross" that outlines the swan's body and wings.
July 1: Steady Sun
If the Sun were to suddenly wink out of existence (which is impossible), we wouldn't know it for more than eight minutes. The Sun is 93 million miles away, and it takes light more than eight minutes to cross that distance.