For the Northern Hemisphere
July 22 - August 23, 2011
All times are local unless otherwise specified.
Night Sky Visitors ...
My 2011 sabbatical continues. In this abbreviated edition of the Leo Night Sky, I offer the following to keep you looking up and tuned to the wonders above.
Clear skies,
Susan Sun
Look Up!
Planetary and Stellar Treats
Sky Lights ... What's up with the planets and stars?
The Planets ... Is it a planet? What planet is it?
Universe Today ... Search for any planet; learn the latest!
Star Gazer's Show Scripts ... Fun facts about planets and stars
Celestial Delights
Sirius Reappears ~ The Dog Days End
The Sirius ~ Leo Festival
Plus ...
Sky Calendars
Moon Dances 7/1-7/30
Moon Dances 7/30-8/28 Under Construction
Leo Navigation Page
The Night Sky ~ Home Page
Planetary and Stellar Treats
Sky Lights ~ Leo
July 22 - August 23
Whole
Sky View
Vary date/time
Planets ... those seen with the unaided eye
Jupiter is getting brighter and spending more time in a dark sky. The brilliant planet at magnitude -2.5 dazzles night owls and early birds. It rises in the east at 12:30am in the beginning of Leo and at 11:00pm by its end. 7/23 the Last Quarter Moon lies to the right (west) of Jupiter and 7/24 the waning Crescent Moon lies to the left (east) of the planet. 7/23-24 3am Map ~ 7/23 Dawn Map ~ 7/24 After Midnight Map/Text 8/1 Jupiter is at west quadrature. The mornings of 8/19, 20, 21 the waning Gibbous Moon dances with Jupiter. 8/19 After 12am Map ~ 8/20 2am Map ~ 8/21 After 12am Map/Text The launch window for Juno: NASA's Jupiter Mission opens 8/5/11. Esoteric Jupiter
Mars gradually rises higher above the eastern horizon, though you may still need binoculars to spot the planet in a twilit sky. Each morning our Red Planet at magnitude 1.4 can be viewed in a dark sky. It rises about 3:00am in the beginning of Leo and at 2:45am by its end. At the end of July Mars lies between the horn tips of Taurus the Bull. 7/26 the waning Crescent Moon lies near the Bull's eye star, reddish Aldebaran, and 7/27 near our Red Planet at the Bull's horn tips. During Leo be sure to compare the ruddy hue of Mars to the color of slightly brighter Aldebaran. 7/26 Dawn Map/Text ~ 7/27 5am Map ~ 7/27 Before Dawn Map Look for Jupiter southwest of the Moon and Mars on these days. Use this 7/26 5am Sky Chart for orientation. By 8/1 Mars moves toward the foot of the Gemini Twin, Castor. The planet far outshines this foot star. By 8/18 Mars lies near the knee star of Castor, Mebsuta. View the stars of the Gemini Constellation. Current Missions to Mars ~ Esoteric Mars
Venus is hidden in the morning Sun's glowing embrace. The planet is in superior conjunction 8/16 when it begins to switch to the evening sky. Venus reappears very low on the western horizon 9/30 and is easier to view as it rises higher in October. Europe's Mission to Venus ~ Esoteric Venus
Mercury is difficult to see just after sunset on the western horizon. July 19/20 the planet dimmed to magnitude 0.3 and achieved greatest elongation, 27º from the Sun's glaring light. During Leo Mercury's 8 degree altitude, 30 minutes after sunset, decreases until the planet reaches inferior conjunction 8/16. See this 8/1 Sunset Map/Text ~ Another View Note: 8/16 while Mercury is at inferior conjunction, Venus is at superior conjunction; both planets are in exact conjunction with the Sun and each other on this day. Mercury is retrograde with Regulus 8/2-25 *. The planet reappears in the morning sky at the end of August. 8/27 the last vestige of the waning Crescent Moon appears near Mercury; Mars lies above. 8/27 Dawn Map/Text ~ 8/27 6am Map MESSENGER is the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. Esoteric Mercury
Saturn at magnitude 0.9 is located in the west-southwest at nightfall. The Lord of the Rings moves toward the western horizon until it sets, at 11:30pm in the beginning of Leo and around 10:00pm by its end. Saturn is sinking in the west. 8/1 the planet is about 20º (degrees) above the sunset horizon as the sky darkens and by 8/31 only 5º. The planet's yellowish glow is eye-catching about 15º (degrees) to the right of bluish Spica. Saturn is a tad brighter than Spica. Look for the large northern-tipped isosceles triangle formed by Saturn and Spica at the base and golden Arcturus at the apex. Use the Big Dipper to locate Saturn (see Arcturus below for details). 8/2-4 the waxing Crescent Moon dances near Saturn. 8/2 Nightfall Map ~ 8/3 8:45pm Map ~ 8/4 Nightfall Map/Text Though Saturn's distance from the Earth is increasing, Saturn's rings are opening, revealing more and more of their northern face and reflecting more light. This lessens the planet's dimming process as it journeys farther from Earth. The planet's ring tilt is 9º in August and widens to 15º in December. Generate images of Saturn's ring tilt as seen from Earth with the Solar System Simulator. With a 6- or 8-inch telescope you just may be able to see Saturn's 5 brightest moons. NASA's Cassini Mission to Saturn ~ Saturn's Super Storm ~ Esoteric Saturn
Arcturus is the bright golden star seen in the west. Use the handle of the Big Dipper to arc down to Arcturus from there, spike down to blue-white Spica in the south. Helpful Image From nightfall until Saturn sets (11:30pm in the beginning of Leo and 10:00pm by its end) look southwest for bluish Spica about 15º (degrees) to the left of yellowish Saturn, both below bright golden Arcturus. These 3 colorful celestial bodies form a large isosceles triangle with Arcturus as the apex, tipped toward the north. The westward movement of Arcturus and the Big Dipper can be observed in the beginning of Leo until 2:00am and by its end until 12:45am. Big Dipper Navigation Notice the seasonal position of the Big Dipper's bowl. Learn more about Arcturus.
Scorpius the cosmic scorpion, a sprawling j-shaped constellation, is seen in the south at sunset. Antares is the red heart star of Scorpius. With binoculars on a moonless night can you find the Scorpion's missing claws (now the constellation Libra), its two stinger stars sometimes called cat's eyes or how about the star clusters M6 and M7 above the Scorpion's stinger? These Maps/Text from 2008 are helpful. Throughout the year you can Track Bunny's Footprints in Scorpius! 8/6 the First Quarter Moon passes east of the Scorpion's "missing claws." 8/6 Evening Map/Text 8/7-8 the waxing Gibbous Moon first lies near Antares the heart of Scorpius, then near the stinger of Scorpius. 8/7 Map/Text ~ 8/8 Map/Text Learn more about the Zodiacal Deity.
The Summer Triangle a stellar right triangle is high in the northeast at sunset. Vega is the brightest star and western point; Deneb the dimmest star and eastern point, Altair is the southern point. Hercules the Strong Man lies about a third of the way from bright white Vega to golden Arcturus in the northwest. Look for his four star wedge-shaped torso. Summer Stars
The Milky Way appears like a faint cloud extending from Scorpius on the southern horizon, to the Summer Triangle high overhead, and onward toward Cassiopeia (M or W shaped) on the northern horizon. Star Map Learn more about the Milky Way.
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Celestial
Delights
Sirius
Reappears in the East Just before Sunrise
Sunday, August 7, 2011 - Pacific Time Zone
The Dog Days Come to an End
Image: Classical
Astrologer
Sirius Reappears briefly in the morning sky August 7 for observers in the Pacific Time Zone. This brightest star in the heavens has been in the embrace of the Sun for 75 days, hidden from our view. Sirius can be seen rising around 5:40am PDT very low on the southeastern horizon. On this morning it is separated from the Sun by 7 degrees. This heliacal rising of Sirius marks the ending of the Dog Days. Look Up! Each morning after the 7th, Sirius gets easier to see positioned higher above the horizon before sunrise.
Dog
Days
What are they? How long do they last?
How did these canicular days affect Egypt?
What is the heliacal rising and setting of Sirius?
What does any of this have to do with the 13 Moon Calendar?
In celebration of our evolutionary link to Sirius and in preparation for becoming the Shining Ones on Earth, I offer this excerpt from the Invocation of Osiris.
I am He who is clothed with the body of flesh yet in whom flames the spirit of the eternal Gods. I am the Lord of Life. I am triumphant over Death, and whosoever partaketh with me shall with me arise. I am the manifester in Matter of Those whose abode is the Invisible. I am the purified. I stand upon the Universe. I am it's Reconciler with the eternal Gods. I am the Perfector of Matter, and without me the Universe is not.
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Sirius
~ Leo Festival
Saturday, August 13 - 11:57am PDT (18:57 UT)
An Artist's Impression of Sirius A and Sirius B
Image: ESA
Hubble: NASA / ESA /
G. Bacon (STScI)
This picture is an artist's impression showing how the binary star system of Sirius A and its diminutive blue companion, Sirius B, might appear to an interstellar visitor. The large, bluish-white star Sirius A dominates the scene, while Sirius B is the small but very hot and blue white-dwarf star on the right.
The two stars revolve around each other every 50 years. White dwarfs are the leftover remnants of stars similar to our Sun. The Sirius system, only 8.6 light-years from Earth, is the fifth closest stellar system known. Sirius B is faint because of its tiny size. Its diameter is only 7,500 miles (about 12 thousand kilometers), slightly smaller than the size of our Earth.
The Sirius system is so close to Earth that most of the familiar constellations would have nearly the same appearance as in our own sky. In this rendition, we see in the background the three bright stars that make up the Summer Triangle: Altair, Deneb, and Vega. Altair is the white dot above Sirius A; Deneb is the dot to the upper right; and Vega lies below Sirius B. But there is one unfamiliar addition to the constellations: our own Sun is the second-magnitude star, shown as a small dot just below and to the right of Sirius A.
The Sirius ~ Leo Festival occurs at the Full Moon during the sign of Leo, on Saturday, August 13 at 11:57am PDT (18:57 UT). This Festival is dedicated to the task of making contact with Sirian force. It is said that all great Avatars and evolutionary energies originate from Sirius, the brightest star in our heavens. The influences of Sirius are focused through Regulus, the heart of the Lion, found in the constellation of Leo. According to the works of Alice Bailey, the Leo-Sirius connection is key to humanity's spiritual evolution and the building of a new unifying world religion. This Sirius ~ Leo Festival offers a great and unique opportunity to become aware of these cosmic energies.
These words from Marianne Williamson capture the essence of the Leo mysteries. "... We are born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." When Leo is in its strength and power this energy knows and remembers its radiant and shining divine essence shared by all life. Shamanic Astrology 7/03
Way up there,
Where peace remains,
Where silence thunders,
Angels sing.
Imagination and amazing grace
Brings us closer to our home in space.Verse from: NASA
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May your Night Sky traveling always be filled
with Celestial Delights and Treats!
Susan Sun
Getting
Started in Astronomy
Includes a downloadable Moon map and bimonthly star charts.
At Skymaps.com download a current monthly guide, evening sky map & calendar.
Link to Sky and Telescope's This Week's Sky at a Glance.
Spaceweather.com keeps you looking up!
Online
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A space and science study guide for kids
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