Nan at Night by Nancy Hoyt
-Thursday the 20th: The moon is “new” today at 3:02 a.m. as it crosses the line between Earth and the Sun. It will return to view as a thin crescent in the western sky after sunset by Friday or Saturday.
-Friday the 21st: The star known as Epsilon Lyrae consists of two pairs of stars, which together are known as the Double Double. Epsilon Lyrae is visible to the unaided eye near brilliant Vega, which is high overhead at nightfall. Binoculars split Epsilon Lyrae into two stars, while small telescopes show all four.
-Saturday the 22nd: The moon, Mercury, and Saturn line up left to right very low in the west about 30 minutes after sunset. You may need binoculars to see the planets through the fading twilight.
-Sunday the 23rd: The moon has a bright companion the next couple of evenings: Spica, the brightest star of Virgo. Spica will stand above the Moon tonight and to its right tomorrow night.
-Monday the 24th: Cygnus, the swan, flies high overhead on summer nights, its body and wings immersed in the Milky Way. It is easy to pick out because it really does look like a bird, and because the star at its tail is one of the brightest in the night sky.
-Tuesday the 25th: The tail of Cygnus, the swan, is represented by the star Deneb, which soars high overhead on summer nights. It’s one of the 20 brightest stars in the night sky, and farther away than any of the others on the list, at almost 1,500 light years.
-Wednesday the 26th: The Milky Way cuts the sky almost in half on August nights. To its east is an area known as “the sea” because many of its constellations are named for sea creatures. One of my favorite examples is Delphinus, the dolphin, which is leaping along the edge of the Milky Way.
-Thursday the 27th: Antares, the “heart” of Scorpius, the scorpion, is just to the right of the moon at nightfall. The moon is half-lit in its first quarter stage at 4:42 a.m. this morning.
