This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2025 July 26 – August 2
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2025 July 26 – August 2
After twilight the bright star Altair is halfway up in the southeastern sky, forming the lower peak of the Summer Triangle with Vega and Deneb. It is flanked by two somewhat dimmer stars, Tarazed and Alshain, and the trio forms the head of Aquila the Eagle. The eagle’s body and tail stretch southward, while the wings reach forward to propel it up the Milky Way. In Greek mythology the eagle was the pet of Zeus and the bearer of his deadly thunderbolts. In Chinese mythology Tchi-Niu (Lyra) was a princess and royal weaver, and Kien-Niou (Aquila) tended the king’s cows. The two fell in love and were married but they subsequently neglected their chores. Angered, the king placed the herder on the opposite side of the river, represented by the Milky Way. On the seventh day of the seventh month all of the magpies in the country form a bridge to allow the lovers to be together for one day.
Following a string of stars beyond the eagle’s tail, over the constellation border into Scutum the Shield, a binocular search will pick up a smudge of light which is a cluster of stars called M11 or the Wild Duck Cluster. From the eagle’s head toward Cygnus or Lyra is a tiny constellation called Sagitta the Arrow. Look to the upper right of the arrow’s fletching with binoculars to see a popular asterism of about a dozen stars. Although it is upside down you will recognize the Coathanger Cluster, also known as Collinder 399 or Brocchi’s Cluster.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise is at 6:02 and sunset will occur at 8:58, giving 14 hours, 56 minutes of daylight. Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:10 and set at 8:49, giving 14 hours, 39 minutes of daylight.
The crescent Moon is near Regulus Saturday evening, Mars on Monday and Spica Wednesday, before reaching first quarter on Friday. Venus and Jupiter are the attention grabbers in the morning, starting the week about 15 degrees apart and reducing that to ten degrees by next weekend. Mars hangs out low in the west in the evening and sets before 11 pm, about 15 minutes before Saturn rises in the east. Mercury is at inferior conjunction on Thursday. The South Delta Aquariid shower peaks Tuesday morning with meteors emanating from a point to the right of Saturn.
The Mactaquac Park star party occurs this weekend, with the one at Mount Carleton taking place next weekend. See rascnb.ca for details.