Today:
A truly “once-in-a-lifetime” event takes place this afternoon through northern NY, VT, and NH, a total eclipse of the Sun. The Moon’s shadow races 2,300 mph through areas north of Middlebury, Barre, Barnet, Lancaster, and Milan, with totality lasting 1 to 3 minutes, longest along the eclipse’s center line from St. Albans to Highgate Falls, and then Ayer’s Cliff, QE. The next eclipse in these areas won’t happen until 2381.
Tuesday:
The steely blue star rising in the north-northeast, low but due northeast at 10:20 PM, is Vega, from the German “Wega”, and from the Arabic “Al Wika”, the “swooping or diving eagle”. In modern times it is the brightest star in Lyra, the Lyre, a harp-like instrument, home to the meteor showers over the next few nights.
Wednesday:
This evening at 9 o’clock, looking due south and just slightly to the left, you see the brightest star in Leo, the Lion. Regulus reigns above a large but much less prominent constellation, that of the Water Snake, named Hydra. The snake’s head appears as a collection of stars half-way between Regulus, and Procyon, midway up in the southwest. The snake’s body curves back and forth to the lower left.