Stars of summer take over the sky

Leo, the Lion of Spring, is diving to the horizon in the west as the stars of summer take over the evening and late night sky, while the Summer Triangle is well up in the east.

Sagittarius and Scorpius, with Jupiter, take over in the south.

The progression of the seasons is an ever-continuing process in the sky as the stars move from the east to the west each night. Four minutes a night doesn't seem like much, but it only takes a month or so to make a significant difference in the stars we see.

Meanwhile, the planets provide their own minuet in the west and south during the evening, with additional planetary tunes in the eastern morning sky for early risers. The Moon adds its own bit of music too.

That is why astronomy is such an interesting and fun hobby, The ever-changing sky always provides something new to watch.

At the Benkelman Fourth of July fireworks celebration we viewed the planet Saturn and the half-moon shape of bright Venus (did you know it goes through Moon-like phases?) and the colorful orb of Jupiter with its own "Dance of the Moons." This time three of the Jovian satellites were visible. It was a fun evening.

Now is the time to begin looking for a good dark sky place in preparation for a really marvelous spectacle in its own right, the Perseid Meteor shower. Although the shower can be seen from a light-polluted city, it is best seen in dark country skies with clear horizons. And, with the Moon at New, dark skies will be the norm. It is relatively rare to have both Moon phase and the weather cooperate for the Perseids, so keep your fingers crossed for clear, cloudless skies.

Bits and pieces of the shower can be seen now in the early morning hours as streaks of light in the sky and those bits and pieces will increase in number as the peak date draws near. Meteors are usually as big as a grain of sand or, on occasion, a small pebble

The Perseid shower begins about mid-July, but the hourly rates stay low until August. On the peak dates of Aug. 12-13, anywhere from 40 to 80 meteors per hour are visible. (Recently rates have been on the lower end of that range.) Peak viewing time on those dates begins around midnight. Keep your eyes scanning the entire sky, for the meteors can appear anywhere.

Meteor watching is fun. Gather some friends (meteor watching is always more fun in a group) and bring blankets, reclining lawn chairs, snacks and insect repellent. A jacket or sweater might come in handy too. Even though it is summer, the morning hours can be rather damp and chilly.

One last thing, let's take a step outside on the evening of July 20 and take a look at the Moon in the southwest and remember the day 38 years ago when Neil Armstrong uttered those now famous words, "One small step for man..." On that day it will be a little after sunrise at Tranquility Base.

SKY WATCH:

First quarter Moon on July 22. The Moon will be to the lower left of Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, the Maiden on Saturday, July 21, and will move over to join Antares and Jupiter to the right on July 24 and the left on July 25.

Next time, more ramblings about astronomical stuff.