This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2024 July 27 – August 3
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2024 July 27 – August 3
After twilight look for orange Antares in the heart of Scorpius. High above the scorpion is a large house-shaped constellation called Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer. If your area isn’t light polluted you can see two lines of stars rising up and outward from the bottom of the house. The line on the right is Serpens Caput and the one on the left is Serpens Cauda. Together they comprise Serpens the Serpent, the only constellation that is in separate parts. Globular clusters contain many tens of thousands of stars and they orbit the centre of our galaxy, which is in the direction just above the spout of the Sagittarius Teapot asterism. Therefore, these clusters abound in the Sagittarius-Scorpius-Ophiuchus region of our sky and many can be seen in binoculars as fat, fuzzy stars.
Ophiuchus represents Asclepius from mythology, who became interested in the healing arts after killing a snake and watching another snake bring it back to life with a leaf. Asclepius brought many people back from the dead, including Orion after he was killed by the scorpion. Hades, god of the Underworld, complained to Zeus about a decrease in business so Zeus sent his pet eagle to kill Asclepius with a thunderbolt. The constellation of Aquila the Eagle is east of Serpens Cauda.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise is at 6:03 and sunset will occur at 8:57, giving 14 hours, 54 minutes of daylight. Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:11 and set at 8:48, giving 14 hours, 37 minutes of daylight.
The Moon is at third quarter just before midnight this Saturday. On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings it enhances the already scenic view of Mars and Jupiter among the stars clusters of Taurus. By midweek Venus and Mercury will be at the same altitude low in the west-northwest, setting about 40 minutes after sunset, with Mercury a fist-width left of much brighter Venus and Regulus between them. The South Delta Aquariid meteor shower peaks around midweek, with the radiant rising in late evening to the right of Saturn
On Sunday evening at 8 pm tune in to the final summer edition of the Sunday Night Astronomy Show via the Facebook page or YouTube channel of Astronomy by the Bay. It resumes in mid-September. The Saint John Astronomy Club meets in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre on August 3 at 7 pm.