Today:
Though named for a famous hero, the constellation Hercules is a challenge. A clear evening this month will find its “keystone” or “bow-tie” shape directly between the bright star Vega, two thirds of the way up in the sky in the east near midnight, and brilliant orange-white Arcturus, high in the southwestern sky.
Friday:
The Big Dipper is beginning to drop a little into the northwestern skies from its position at the top of the sky in early June. A legend from the Seneca Tribe tells us that the bowl of the dipper is really a bear, with the closest star to the bowl a hunter with a bow and arrow. The middle star is a hunter with a cooking pot, and the third star is another hunter, gathering firewood to cook with.
Saturday:
All night, every night, the North Star is right where it always is – half way up, due north. Many are surprised that the North Star is not the brightest star in the heavens. Rather than its brightness, Polaris’s location directly above the Earth’s North Pole makes this the Pole Star. As the Earth spins on its axis, this star remains fixed in the same place, while the rest of the skies appear to pivot around it.