Our Sun, a modest-sized star, is one of an estimated 100 to 400 billion stars in the Milky Way, our home galaxy. When naked-eye stargazing (looking without the aid of binoculars or telescope) in dark sky locations, more than 4,500 stars appear in our field of view. For another breathtaking perspective: Antares, the red supergiant heart star of Scorpius the Scorpion, is 700 times larger than the Sun, 550 light years distant from Earth, and shines brighter than 10,000 Suns. According to Sky & Telescope, “…. if you were to put Antares in place of the Sun, we’d be inside it. Its edge would be out past the orbit of Mars.”
From summer solstice to autumn equinox, delight in locating the figure of the Scorpion above the skyline to the south in late evening twilight, then setting in the southwest earlier every night as the season progresses. Find Scorpius’ brightest star, glowing red Antares, 1.03 magnitude, at its heart.
Following New Moon on July 5, starry nights prevail in the absence of pervasive moonlight for about a week. Waxing crescents set within an hour of nightfall. There is little change in sunrise-sunset-nightfall timing in the two weeks ahead. Sunset in the west-northwest is at 8:32 p.m. on the 6th, closely followed by a one-day-old crescent moon that sets at 9:40 p.m. at horizon views. Twilight begins at 9:07 p.m., and nightfall at 10:43 p.m. The brightest stars and star patterns appear in late twilight, as illustrated in the schema, top, at 10 p.m. July’s Full Thunder Moon rises at 9:09 p.m. on the 21st.
Crucial to the survival of our view to the cosmos is working together to significantly reduce light pollution. “Light pollution disrupts wildlife, impacts human health, wastes money and energy, contributes to climate change, and blocks our view of the universe.” Get the full scoop at Darksky International and DarkSkyMass.
Bright stars and planets are visible to stargazers in many tri-state Berkshire towns in western Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut. Locations identified in the Space Tourism Guide, below, are reported to be in dark sky areas with good views to the Milky Way. Also for Dark Sky Places in Massachusetts, visit Go Astronomy. For a comprehensive view, access the Global Dark Sky Directory.
Stargazing in the tri-state Berkshire region and western New York State.
