Summertime Stargazing
The night sky in August offers the best light show around.
John Crossen

There isn’t a better time to share the beauty of the night sky with your family than on a warm summer night in August or September. The Milky Way arcs gracefully overhead from the southern to the northern horizon. Directly above, the Summer Triangle is suspended from the starry ceiling like a celestial chandelier. And Queen Cassiopeia, a large W-shaped constellation, rises in the northeast majestically seated on her throne of stars. You don’t need a telescope to see all this. Even a pair of binoculars can slow you down. All you need is your eyes.

How do you connect the star-dots and turn a summer night teaming with anonymous stars into a stellar tapestry of friendly, familiar critters? A trip to the bookstore and an evening in your back yard are an ideal start. Pick up an astronomy book, read up, then wait until dark and head out to do a little stargazing.

A large open area that is free of trees and bright lights is ideal for stargazing. Look straight overhead in August and you’ll spot three bright stars arranged in a triangle shape that takes up most of the sky overhead. This is the famous Summer Triangle. If you’re in the country, you can see that the Milky Way cuts straight through the Summer Triangle. But even city dwellers should be able to make out the three bright stars that form the Summer Triangle. Deneb is the brightest star in Cygnus the Swan. Altair is the bright star in Aquila, the eagle. And Vega is the bright star in Lyra, which is named after an ancient musical instrument that resembles a small harp.

In August, summer wears its starry crown straight up. But with the arrival of September, the crown slips toward the west as the nights lengthen.

One of summer’s prime attractions is the Perseid Meteor Shower. The event peaks on the night of August 11th and during the early morning hours of August 12th. But prior to the peak, the sky show ramps up for about five days, then trails off for an equal number of days. The meteor shower takes its name from the constellation Perseus which rises in the northeast. That’s the direction from which the meteors appear to radiate, so to make the most of the shower, you’ll want to face that direction. Again, telescopes and binoculars are unnecessary. To see the most meteors, you want the widest field of view possible. And nothing delivers that like the peepers you were born with.

What exactly is a meteor shower? Those brilliant streaks of light are actually comet debris that the Earth passes through annually on its orbital path around the sun. In the case of the Perseids, the debris is left over from the tail of a comet named Swift Tuttle. As the comet neared the sun, it began to melt, leaving a path of dust, water, and gases in its wake.

This debris is what slams into Earth’s atmosphere. And “slams” is the correct term. Earth is traveling along its orbital path at the blistering rate of 30 kilometers per second. That’s fast enough to ionize the particles of dust and debris. And that, in turn, is why meteors seem so bright even though they are seldom larger than a piece of gravel.

Backyard astronomy is a great family hobby that is as easy to enjoy as looking up. And because the stars change with the seasons, there’s always something new to learn. It can also be an inexpensive way to bring the family together and share the wonder and magic of a starry night sky. So take advantage of the warm weather on a cloudless summer evening. Discover the summer constellations together – tonight.

John Crossen is president of the Peterborough Astronomical Association. He also owns Buckhorn Observatory. You can reach John at: johnCstargazer@aol.com.