425 years ago, a "new" star flared to life near the neck of Cygnus, the swan. Known as P Cygni, it slowly faded, then flared twice more during the 17th century, and has stayed visible ever since. It is roughly 600,000 times the Sun's brightness.
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 24: P Cygni
June 25: New Moon
The Moon is "new" at 5:32 a.m. CDT today as it crosses between Earth and the Sun. It is lost from view in the Sun's glare, but should be visible as a thin crescent quite low in the west shortly after sunset tomorrow.
June 26: Moon and Mercury
Mercury looks like a fairly bright star to the left of the Moon this evening. They are quite low in the sky as twilight fades, so you need a clear horizon to spot them. Pollux and Castor, the "twin" stars of Gemini, line up to the right of the Moon.
June 27: Sagittarius
Sagittarius, the constellation that marks the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, scoots low across the south on summer nights. Its brightest stars form the outline of a teapot, with the glowing band of the Milky Way rising from the spout like steam.
June 28: Moon and Companions
The Moon and two bright pinpoints stairstep up the western sky this evening. Regulus, the heart of the lion, is to the upper left of the Moon. And the planet Mars is about the same distance to the upper left of Regulus.
June 29: Moon and Mars
Mars and the Moon stage a spectacular encounter this evening. The Moon will slide just a fraction of a degree from the planet, which looks like a bright star. The true star Regulus is close to their lower right.
June 30: Messier 5
The star cluster Messier 5 is high in the south at nightfall, in Serpens Caput, the head of the serpent. Through binoculars, it looks like a fuzzy star. A small telescope reveals some of the cluster's individual stars.