horse and rider

A horse and rider gallop high across the north on summer evenings. They form the middle of the Big Dipper's handle. They are the stars Mizar and Alcor. Mizar is the brighter of the two, with Alcor just a whisker away. They are so close together that many long-ago skywatchers thought of them as a horse and rider.

- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill

Moon has some bright companions

The Moon has some bright companions tonight. As night falls, look for the planet Mars to the upper right of the Moon, the star Regulus to the right, and the planet Saturn farther to the upper left of the Moon.

- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill

a beautiful triangle

The planet Mars stands to the upper left of the Moon as darkness falls tonight. It looks like an orange star. The true star Regulus is above the Moon, completing a beautiful triangle.

- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill

beautiful pairing of the Moon and the planet Venus

A beautiful pairing of the Moon and the planet Venus highlights the western sky this evening. Venus is the brilliant "evening star" just above the crescent Moon.

- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill

galaxy M81 is visible through binoculars

Under clear, dark skies, the galaxy M81 is visible through binoculars. Find the Big Dipper, which is high in the north at nightfall, then scan to the lower right of the dipper's bowl. M81 looks like an oval smudge of light almost as wide as the Moon.

- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill

in the west the next few evenings

The planet Venus lines up with Pollux and Castor, the twin stars of Gemini, in the west the next few evenings. Venus is the brilliant "evening star." Pollux is to the right of Venus, with Castor about the same distance to the right of Pollux.

- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill

the harp

Vega, the brightest star of Lyra, the harp, is in the northeast at nightfall. The remains of a star that was once like Vega stand to its lower right: the Ring Nebula. You need a telescope to see the nebula, which is thousands of light-years away.

- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill

western sky at nightfall

The planet Mars stands high in the western sky at nightfall. It looks like a bright orange star. And tonight it has an equally bright companion: Regulus, the brightest star of Leo, the lion, which stands just a whisker below the Red Planet.

- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill

a bright golden star

The planet Saturn poses high in the southwest as darkness falls this month. It looks like a bright golden star. A telescope reveals its best-known feature: its beautiful rings.

- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill

The Northern Cross

The Northern Cross is one of the highlights of the summer evening sky. Look toward the northeast around 10 p.m. for six stars that form a cross that is lying on its side. The brightest star, which stands at the top of the cross, is Deneb.

- Quads, hailing from Grand Marsh Observatory atop Elk Castle Hill