This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2025 July 12 – Ju1y 19
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2025 July 12 – Ju1y 19
Serpens the Serpent is unique among the 88 constellations in that it is split in two by another constellation, Ophiuchus. As the name suggests, Ophiuchus is the Serpent Bearer, and he is often depicted holding a large snake. The two constellations are also intertwined in mythology.
Ophiuchus represents Asclepius, a renowned healer who could raise the dead. After killing a snake one day, he watched as another snake placed a herb on its dead companion and revived it. After this, Asclepius learned the healing arts and his success at reviving people drew the ire of Hades, a brother of Zeus and ruler of the Underworld. Receiving a complaint from Hades that he was being robbed of subjects, Zeus killed Asclepius with a thunderbolt.
The part of Serpens west of Ophiuchus is called Serpens Caput (meaning head); to the east is Serpens Cauda (for tail). M16 is a star cluster with a rather faint cloud, the Eagle Nebula, within Serpens Cauda. It gained fame as the iconic Pillars of Creation photo from the early years of the Hubble Space Telescope. The delightful globular cluster M5 is found in Serpens Caput, and several other globular clusters reside within the borders of Ophiuchus.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:40 and sunset will occur at 9:08, giving 15 hours, 28 minutes of daylight (5:48 and 9:10 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:47 and set at 9:03, giving 15 hours, 16 minutes of daylight (5:55 and 9:05 in Saint John).
The Moon is above Saturn and Neptune Wednesday morning and it is at third quarter on Thursday. Saturn is stationary on Monday, beginning four and a half months of retrograde motion. Venus is above Aldebaran this weekend, making a very bright second eye in the V-shaped face of Taurus the Bull. Jupiter rises an hour before the Sun this weekend, beginning a month-long journey toward a spectacular meet-up with Venus. Mars continues to hang out low in the west in the evening and setting before 11:30 pm. Mercury is just five degrees above the horizon at sunset this weekend, pretty much ending this evening apparition.
Summer star parties in the major parks are scheduled for July 25-26 at Mactaquac, August 1-2 at Mount Carleton, August 22-23 at Fundy, and September 13-14 at Kouchibouguac. See rascnb.ca for details.