It is truly a wonder to be able to stare up at the vastness of stars scattering the night sky, especially in our dim corner of the world. Though, an even greater spectacle is watching them appear! The first stars will appear shortly after 9pm, and if we look up at the sky for a brief period of time, the stars will start to reveal themselves. Much like an old, developing photograph, as the sun’s light diminishes, the stars get their turn to shine. One by one, little specs of light will appear and fill in the darkness. One of my favorites to watch this July is Antares. Looking at this “heart” of Scorpio over Lone Cone, it is alone immediately after dusk, but as the darkness invades, its tail starts forming between the bright planets of Mars and Saturn. Before long, the once black sky has been lit up with hundreds of stars, cut down the middle by our very own “cloudy looking” expanse of the Milky Way.
Not only do the stars scatter the sky, but the five closest planets can be seen as well. Mars and Saturn rest to the south while Jupiter continues to decline in the west. In another few weeks our giant planet will be illuminated, hand in hand with the waxing crescent of the moon. Even further west, near the horizon, Venus and Mercury reside next to one another. These two can be seen for another month before sinking into the horizon.
Looking into the north sky, we can see some of the most distinctive indications of summer. Cygnus the Swan rising in the east-northeast first rises at the beginning of summer. In Greek mythology, this swan is often depicted as Zeus. He transformed himself into a beautiful swan in order to win the love of the goddess Nemesis (or Leda depending on the myth). This swan is also called by the more common name “the Northern Cross” because of the intersection of its body and wings.
Another easily recognizable summer group of stars is the “Summer Triangle”. The three brightest stars in the northeast sky, Vega, Deneb, and Altair, make up this triangle. While looking at Cygnus, Deneb makes up the tail. Altair will be located to the east of Cygnus, and Vega will be the highest bright star of the triangle. As summer progresses and reaches an end, the flying horse of Pegasus will rise beneath Cygnus and mark the beginning of Autumn when it is well into the sky. Until then, take advantage of seeing the stars appear at dusk, just before the full moon starts to interfere.