What’s Up Above? July Stargazing

July’s arrival tells us to fully step fully into summer. Not tentatively or with hesitation, the month of July demands our participation. Get outside, inhale a deep breath of fullness. This sensation of “full” abounds all around us. A month full of growth, full of thickness, and full of rich sensations for all of our senses to enjoy. Does this call to mind a summer day? On the contrary, this describes a July summer night.

This fullness awaits you every night in July. The biggest fullness is the Milky Way. Last month, the Milky Way began its flanking march low on the eastern horizon, sweeping across from the north, to the east and then turning and fading in the south. Now it flows majestically as the centerpiece of any clear July night. It’s an arc of light, a river of life and passage, the core of our galaxy the Milky Way, a bejeweled background of light and dark, depth and detail. Don’t miss a moment to look up; and with curiosity, wonder, and amazement experience the universe on a comfortable summer night sky. I guarantee that you will wake up happier the next morning. Yet, there is plenty of fullness for you this month, however. Let us begin our journey into the fullness of night with our Full Buck Moon. 

The Full Buck Moon, July 10th

This month, July’s Full Moon is called the Full Buck Moon. What the heck is a Full Buck Moon? The name Buck Moon refers to the time of year when the antlers of male deer are in full-growth mode according to indigenous, colonial American and European traditions. For the Ojibwe nation it is the Blueberry Moon, for the Oneida nation it is the String Bean Moon, and for the Catawba it is the Thunderstorm Moon.

In the movement of celestial objects around one another, specifically the Moon and the Sun in this case, there are moments when they are opposite each other (opposition); moments when they are at their farthest point away from one another(aphelion); and moments when they are close to one another (perihelion). This month’s Full Moon, is both in opposition and aphelion. On the night of the 10th, the Moon resides in the constellation Sagittarius with an approximate distance from the Sun of 93,800,000 miles. Earth and the Moon will have 242,000 miles of separation. That night the Moon will rise above the eastern horizon at 8:15pm in full radiance with the Sun setting over the western horizon at 8:30pm. Fun fact, the average Moon to Earth distance is 238,000 miles.

The Rise of Scorpius, The full month of July

Scorpius, The slayer of Orion, emerges in fullness this month to dominate the southern end of the Milky Way. Few constellations represent their name better than Scorpius. This is what is called an asterism. Oh, it’s okay if you call it Scorpio. The Earth’s orbit and tilt is what allows us to partake in this constellation that calls the Southern celestial hemisphere home most of the year.

As an ancient constellation, Scorpius is noted in script, which predates Ptolemy’s identifying it in the 2nd century as one of the 48 “original'' constellations (today, there are 88 constellations). For the Polynesian cultures of the southern hemisphere Scorpius is “the brooded swan” (Javanese), and the “Big Fish Hook of Maui” (Hawaiian). The Greeks mythologies involving Scorpius are many and varied. The short story is Artemis (or the Earth) sent the scorpion to slay Orion. This was because Orion, the Hunter, boasted to her and her mother that he could kill any wild beast on Earth. Angered by this, Artemis and Leto sent a scorpion to kill Orion. A battle ensued and the melee caught the attention of Zeus who ended it by placing each of them on opposite sides of the heavens. To this day the scorpion still chases Orion, but never catches him since it is only after Orion sets in the western night sky in late spring that Scorpius rises in the southeastern night sky in early summer.

Scorpius is easy to find. Look due south any time of the night, or you can just follow the Milky Way across the sky from the north to the southern horizon. Look just above the horizon to find the constellation. As night progresses Scorpius will “tip” to the west (left) revealing the entire asterism; head, body, stinger, and barb.

Mars and the Moon: a Conjunction and a Pillow for Virgo, July 28th

After running away from the Earth for a good portion of the last season, Mars, the Roman god of war, last month reached the depths of its orbit around the Sun and now starts heading back towards the Sun, and consequently, the Earth. For us stargazers this means Mars is getting bigger and brighter. The evening of the 20th the father of Romulus and Remus, the twins that founded the city of Rome, join the crescent Moon in an astronomical conjunction, separated by a mere 1.07 degrees. This alignment creates a soft pillow now cradling the head of our goddess of fertility, justice, and harvest, the constellation Virgo.

As one of the largest and most prominent constellations in the night sky, Virgo holds a rich mythology rooted in several ancient cultures. In Babylonia, the constellation was called “The Furrow” aligned with Shala, the Babylonian goddess of grain and compassion. Just like other mythologies, Shala carries an ear of Barley (for the Romans it was an ear of wheat) indicating the cycle of growth, harvest, and decay. This ear of grain is the alpha star in the constellation, the star Spica. As for the Greeks, it’s a story about a mother and her daughter. Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, had a daughter, Persephone. As frequently happens in Greek mythology beautiful women are taken by male gods. In this case Persephone is abducted by Hades (god of the underworld). Demeter, inconsolable in grief by this loss of her daughter, causes the Earth to become barren (the season of winter). Eventually, Hades relents and allows Persephone to return to Earth but only for part of the year. Overwhelmed with the return of her daughter, Demeter’s rejoicing restored fertility to the Earth (thus the arrival of spring). Geez, after all that, wouldn’t you be a bit tired and like Demeter and would love to rest on a soft pillow?

Look west in the evening for the rising 4-day old crescent Moon. As dusk fades to darkness Mars will appear to the upper left of the Moon, unblinking and visible rusty colored to the observing naked-eye. The pair will be a closed fist’s width above the horizon at that time and they then begin to slowly sink over the edge of the Earth about one hour later. Well that makes sense. Just like you, when Virgo’s head hits her Mars & Moon pillow that night, it’s lights out.

A Subtle Sneaky Peekaboo Meteor Shower – The Piscis Austrinid. Peaking July 28th

Though subdued with fewer meteors when compared to other meteor showers, the Piscis Austrinids offers a calmer meteor gazing experience. This is because the Piscis Austrinids rise over the south southeastern horizon well after midnight and never gain much altitude. The path of the shower’s radiant point is almost a perfect arc; about half of a circle. The image above shows the shower’s radiant point at 21 degrees above the southern horizon. That’s about two fists widths. Close your fist, put your pinky on the horizon and then place your other closed fist on top of the other, and you’ll be at the approximate altitude of the point where you want to look for the meteors.

As the name suggests, Austrinid is derived from Australia, as this is primarily a southern hemisphere meteor shower, and only visible to us in the northern hemisphere in the low-moderate to lower latitudes for a short period of time. That said, this meteor shower can produce long-lasting brilliant streaks. The Piscis Austrinids are active from July 15th through August 10th, peaking late, late in the night of the 28th spilling over into the wee hours of the 29th. Here’s a meteor show perfect for the night owls among us. For those of us who relish being under the celestial dome at the darkest hours this meteor shower is made for them. Specifically, the shower rises above the east southeast horizon after 11pm. The radiant point of the shower at that time then (that point in the night sky where the meteors emanate from) aims directly at Earth around 5am. You can expect the zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) to be around 5 meteors per hour. That’s subtle for sure.

Yet, take heart fellow stargazers, the date of the 28th / 29th brings us a New Moon. A New Moon brings the darkest of nights due to the lack of interfering illumination from it when compared to its other phases. But wait, there’s more. July is a rare meteor shower month because there are multiple overlapping meteor showers. This means more meteor shower shows with radiant points of origin spread all across the night sky. Read on stargazer to learn more!

Dueling Meteor Showers - Alpha Capricornid and Delta Aquarids, Peaking July 30th

Do you remember the movie Deliverance? Dueling banjos and dueling meteor showers? Maybe it’s not as far-fetched as you think. Want to increase your chances of catching a meteor streaking across our night sky? Then, mark the nights between the 28th through the 30th on your calendar now because both the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower and the Alpha Capricornid meteor shower reach their peak. Oh, did I mention that the showers start when the Sun goes down? Anticipate never a dull moment.

The lesser known Delta Aquarids is the first of the summer’s annual meteor showers. It starts on July 18, and will reach its peak on the 30th. On that night, it’s estimated you’ll see 25 – 30 meteors an hour. What was that? That’s right, 25 – 30 meteors; can you believe it! Be ready for some nocturnal entertainment beginning around 10pm, when the shower’s radiant point will rise above the east-southeast horizon with the constellation Aquarius.

Next, from our location 40 degrees north, the Alpha Capricornid meteor shower is visible all night. This shower radiates from July 3rd through August 15th. To find the shower, look to the southeastern horizon after sunset, when the skies have darkened. The radiant point for this shower will be just to the left (southwest) of the radiant point of the Delta Aquarids. Ah, now you get it; just like our dueling banjos, our duel meteor showers are sitting side-by-side, mimicking one another.

Sad to say, there is a small “twang” in our duet. A waxing crescent Moon will rise at sunset in the southeast and cross right in front of each shower’s radiant points. It’s a small dissent note which will wash out the faint meteors. And don’t forget, the Piscis Austrinids is happening at the same time. So don’t let a little moonlight keep you inside. Get out, and keep your head up. You’ll see plenty of flares, bombs, fireballs, and streaks to fill your soul.

Truly, the word “full” is an apt one to describe stargazing in July. The full grandness of the Milky Way is on full display; the full clarity and prominence of the Scorpius constellation dominating the southern horizon’s night skyline; a full Buck Moon, and the full-on dueling meteor showers; full speed ahead and double-barreling towards you. So, get heavy into stargazing this July. Gather your posse, find a dark location, and give your eyes at least 20-minutes to adjust to the darkness, bring binoculars, and settle in for the “full” pleasure and joy of looking up at our wonderful summer night sky.

Clear skies to you, and never forget to keep looking up!