Twilight officially ends at 9:05 tonight, giving us nearly two hours (monsoons permitting) to enjoy the summer Milky Way in a completely dark sky before the moon rises at 10:57 p.m.
The Milky Way is spread clear across the sky, with its center in Sagittarius. It also runs through the tail of Scorpius the Scorpion, the constellation that most resembles what it is supposed to represent.
Look directly south at 9:30 to see Scorpius. Bright red Antares, in the heart of the Scorpion, will be 30 degrees above the horizon. The head and pinchers of Scorpius are to the right of Antares, with the body and stinger trailing down to the left.
Look to the left (east) of Scorpius to find Sagittarius the Archer. I commonly refer to it as a "teapot" with its spout to the right, its handle to the left, and its top star being the top of the lid.
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Both Scorpius and Sagittarius are bright. Though a little low in our skies, they are simply stunning in a dark sky away from city lights. With binoculars you can see innumerable star clusters and areas of nebulosity.
Thousands of light-years away, toward Sagittarius at the very center of our galaxy, is a massive black hole surrounded by gas and dust. It is too far away to directly affect us, but it is a favorite region of study by professional astronomers.
Directly to the north of Sagittarius and Scorpius is the large constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder. Ophiuchus is supposed to be a man holding a large snake represented by Serpens Caput (head) on its western end and Serpens Cauda (tail) on its eastern end. Ophiuchus is a misshapen oval with lines of stars (the Serpens) on either end.
Contact Tim Hunter at skyspy@azstarnet.com
