What’s up for July ‘06
The summer triangle is in the eastern sky and Scorpius rides high in the south, July 2006 has something for all levels of astronomy interest.
Vega the brightest of the summer triangle trio has something in common with St Louis, it’s declination matches that cities longitude. So it passes directly overhead.
Arcturus, in Bootes, is the brightest star in the summer sky and can be found by finding the handle of the Big Dipper and following an arc south to Arcturus slightly to the South.
Arcturus is not in the dusty lanes of the Milky way, but is plunging downward, and will some day pass through the disc. Since the Greeks kept accurate records Arcturus has moved a degree.
The second week of July the moon will be full on the tenth, on the thirteenth the moon will be at perigee, the closest point to its center of orbit around Earth.
The third week of July the waning moon passes through the Pleiades in the early morning of the twentieth.
On the twenty first just before sunset, the planet Mars and the bright star Regulus in Leo are within one degree in the western sky.
The challenge for July has been saved for the fourth week, the waning moon gives us an opportunity to to find two of the outer planets, Uranus and Neptune. Both planets have bright enough magnitudes to be seen with binoculars, under dark skies, and small scopes.
Uranus is in Aquarius and about 5.8 magnitude. Neptune is at 7.8 magnitude in Capricornus.
Both constellations have few bright stars. consult your favorite monthly star chart and try it.
Marv Stewart
