Crescent sets behind the Statue of Liberty on December 17, 2020 in New York. (Picture from… [+] Gary Hershorn / Getty Images)
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Every Monday I choose the celestial accents of the northern hemisphere (mid-northern latitudes) for the coming week, but be sure to check out my main feed for more in-depth articles on star observation, astronomy, eclipses and more.
What to see in the night sky this week: June 27 – July 3, 2022
It is not easy to watch stars in the summer at this time of year in the northern hemisphere. The nights are so short. The best reason to stay up late and go somewhere dark is the view of the spiral arms of our Milky Way galaxy winding through the night sky. Look southeast and south for that this month – and especially this week, which will be largely moonless.
When our satellite emerges from the conjunction of the New Moon with the Sun, expect lush views of a thin crescent. Who said summer is not good for watching stars?
Monday, June 27, 2022: Meteor shower Bootid and crescent meet Mercury
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Monday, June 27, 2022: Meteor shower Bootid and crescent meet Mercury
The June Bootidi meteor shower – sometimes called the June Draconids or Bootid-Draconids – runs annually between June 22 and July 2, but peaks in the early hours of June 27, 2020.
If you’re out watching stars late tonight, watch out for the expected 50 “shooting stars” per hour. The radiating point of the soul – the apparent source of shooting stars – is the constellation Boötes.
If you are still awake before dawn, you can simply catch the planet Mercury at only 3.9º from the incredibly thin 2.6% crescent, but be very careful if you use binoculars to help you, because the rising sun is NOT something that you want in your viewport.
Tuesday, June 30, 2022: Super Thin Crescent and Asteroid Day
Today is Asteroid Day. With any luck, there will be nothing to see thrown at (or even crashed) to our planet, but it’s a good chance to look at the threat it poses to Earth from the incoming cosmic rocks. What will really change everything is the Vera Rubin Observatory, which from 2022 will use a wide-angle camera to map the night sky in real time – and identify many thousands of undiscovered asteroids.
Friday, July 1, 2022: Earthly glow of the crescent and the hive of the beehive
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Friday, July 1, 2022: “Earth’s glow” on the crescent
Today you need to get a much clearer idea of the crescent. Now 8% lit, in clear skies this will be a stunning sight, not least because you will be able to see the sunlight reflecting on the Moon from Earth as “Earth’s radiance” or “planet’s radiance”. This is a fine sight, but once seen it cannot be invisible; look with your own eyes at the darkened limb of the moon or even better with binoculars to appreciate this beautiful view.
As a bonus, it will only be 3.5 ° from the hive, although you will need binoculars to see the 30 or so easily visible stars.
Saturday, July 2, 2022: Earth’s crescent moonlight near Regulus
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Saturday, July 2, 2022: “Earthlight” of the crescent and Regulus
Tonight, just after sunset, look west for a 14% crescent, again showing an earthly glow. The stars around it will be those of the “sickle” in the constellation Leo. The brightest, about 5º to the left of the Moon, will be the brightest star of Leo, Regulus. It is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and is about 78 light-years away.
Glowing clouds over Northamptonshire, UK. Photographed on June 17, 2009. The silver clouds are thin … [+] cloud-like phenomena, which are the “broken edge” of a much brighter and more widespread polar cloud layer, called polar mesospheric clouds in the upper atmosphere, visible in deep twilight. They are made of water ice crystals. (Photo by Jamie Cooper / SSPL / Getty Images)
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Object of the week: bright clouds
At this time of year, dusk seems to last forever in northern latitudes, so consider looking for a “ghostly” display of glowing or “night” clouds (NLC). At its best in the northern twilight sky in June and July (latitudes between 50 ° and 70 ° north and south of the equator), NLCs are very delicate clouds of icy dust at high altitudes that form about 50 miles / 80 kilometers up. Because the Sun is never too far below the horizon of these latitudes, they illuminate subtly for a short time. They are best seen with the naked eye or binoculars.
I wish you clear skies and open eyes.
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