Moon near Scorpion’s stinger on July 27

Tonight – July 27, 2015 – the moon is still to the north of the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. That means it’s above Scorpius, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. If you can see Antares and the moon – and if your sky is unobstructed in the direction toward the southern horizon – you might be able to pick out a graceful looping stream of stars, despite the moonlit glare. These stars represent the Scorpion’s curved Tail. They’re the reason Scorpius has been identified as a Scorpion by stargazers.

Now notice two stars in the Scorpion’s Tail, Shaula and Lesath. Together, these two represent the Scorpion’s Stinger.

These two stars, so close together on our sky’s dome, give the impression of being physically bound. But they’re not. They lie at different distances from Earth, with Shaula some 350 light-years away and Lesath about 500 light-years away.

After the moon drops out of the evening sky toward the end of the first week in August, look at the Scorpion in all his starlit grandeur! In a dark country sky, you’ll have no trouble seeing the Scorpion’s J-shaped loop of stars and the two stinger stars, Shaula and Lesath.

In a dark sky, you can see that the starlit band of the Milky Way runs behind Shaula and Lesath in the Tail of Scorpius. Photo by Daniel McVey. Visit his website.

Bottom line: The moon is still to the north of Scorpius the Scorpion on July 27, 2015. Look for Shaula and Lesath, which represent the Scorpion’s Stinger.

Read more about Shaula and Lesath: Scorpion’s stinger stars

EarthSky’s meteor guide for 2015

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Tonight – July 27, 2015 – the moon is still to the north of the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. That means it’s above Scorpius, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. If you can see Antares and the moon – and if your sky is unobstructed in the direction toward the southern horizon – you might be able to pick out a graceful looping stream of stars, despite the moonlit glare. These stars represent the Scorpion’s curved Tail. They’re the reason Scorpius has been identified as a Scorpion by stargazers.

Now notice two stars in the Scorpion’s Tail, Shaula and Lesath. Together, these two represent the Scorpion’s Stinger.

These two stars, so close together on our sky’s dome, give the impression of being physically bound. But they’re not. They lie at different distances from Earth, with Shaula some 350 light-years away and Lesath about 500 light-years away.

After the moon drops out of the evening sky toward the end of the first week in August, look at the Scorpion in all his starlit grandeur! In a dark country sky, you’ll have no trouble seeing the Scorpion’s J-shaped loop of stars and the two stinger stars, Shaula and Lesath.

In a dark sky, you can see that the starlit band of the Milky Way runs behind Shaula and Lesath in the Tail of Scorpius. Photo by Daniel McVey. Visit his website.

Bottom line: The moon is still to the north of Scorpius the Scorpion on July 27, 2015. Look for Shaula and Lesath, which represent the Scorpion’s Stinger.

Read more about Shaula and Lesath: Scorpion’s stinger stars

EarthSky’s meteor guide for 2015

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

Donate: Your support means the world to us

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1OvDw16