Leaving Cygnus and Lyra behind

Let's see now ... where were we? Oh yes, just leaving Cygnus and Lyra heading south into Sagittarius and Scorpius.

I was hesitant last week to include the North American Nebula in the list of things to look for; it is faint and hard to find. But, thanks to a clear night between the regular train of thunderstorms rolling through the area last week, I was able to get out under a moderately light polluted sky and I found it.

The best place for any star gazing is a dark sky place, but my observing place didn't quite fit that bill. Plus the transparency -- the clarity of the air through which we view -- was not all that good, a hazy layer of clouds dimmed my view of the heavens. Still, the North American Nebula was modestly visible. It is in the same field of view as Deneb, the tail star of Cygnus, the Swan.

One method for determining transparency is to find the Little Dipper. If all seven stars of the dipper are visible then the transparency is good. The other evening there were only three of the dipper stars visible so the transparency was not all that great.

Now, follow the Milky Way southward through the length of Cygnus, above Aquila, the Eagle to the southeast past the "Y" shaped rather dim constellation of Scutum, the Shield into the Scutum star cloud.

The cloud is a delightful sight in binoculars, which resolve it into a multitude of starry dots. While you are in this neighborhood, try to find M16, the Eagle Nebula and M17 the Omega Nebula. They will be visible as a pair of the faint fuzzies that are rampant in the area. A star map will help you pinpoint these star-forming regions. Try the free chart at www.starmaps.com.

Continue southeast to the Sagittarius Star Cloud, located just above the top of the "Teapot" shape of Sagittarius, the Archer. Modern astronomers call Sagittarius a teapot rather than trying to find the mythical Centaur archer which name the ancients gave the star group.

Here is where the fun begins! Charles Messier found many objects in this region. For example, M8, the Lagoon Nebula, is one of the brightest, visible to the unaided eye above the Teapot's spout. Try looking for smaller, fainter M20 -- yet another star-forming region -- just above the Lagoon.

Farther south, the star clusters M6 and M7 form a pair of cloudy spots near the stinger of Scorpius. Binoculars will help you partially resolve these into star groupings.

That fuzzy star cloud that looks like steam coming out of the teapot's spout is the location of the center of our home Milky Way Galaxy.

Keep looking a little to the right where the tail of the scorpion bends and goes east for one of my favorites, an object that Messier missed. Labeled NGC 6231, this star cluster is a marvelous sight in binoculars, so much so that I call it the Jewel Box of Scorpius. (Another cluster commonly called "The Jewel Box" is located in the southern constellation of Crux and is not visible from mid-northern latitudes.)

Now, keep going up the length of the body of the scorpion to Antares, the brightest star in the constellation. You will see why its name means the "Rival of Mars" as its appearance is very similar to the red planet. Look up and to the right in the same field of view to find another star cluster, M4. It appears merely as a fuzzy spot; a telescope is needed to bring out its stars.

SKY WATCH: Keep watching Mars and Saturn in Leo. They will have a very close conjunction tonight, July 10; you won't see the two this close again until 2022. First quarter moon also occurs July 10, with full moon on July 18. Jupiter was at opposition, or opposite the Sun in the sky on July 9 and will be in the sky all night long in the coming weeks. Venus is poking her head above the western horizon in the coming evenings. Mercury will be making an appearance in the morning skies for the next couple of weeks.

NEXT TIME: More astronomical blathering.