Today:
The next two nights mark the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower, centered around the constellation Perseus, which rises in northeast after dark. A few Persieds are visible by the middle of July, but rates go from 10 meteors per hour to 50 per hour tonight, and up to 100 meteors per hour tomorrow night. Ideally, the Moon will be new, meaning that no moonlight will interfere. That new Moon creates a partial eclipse during tomorrow afternoon.
Wednesday:
Some daytime astronomy today features a partial solar eclipse. While nothing as dramatic as the Total Eclipse of April, 2024, if you have a pair of eclipse glasses from that event, you can watch the Moon “take a bite” out of the Sun starting at 12:54 PM, reaching its maximum near 28 percent at 1:49 PM, finishing a little less than an hour later.
Thursday:
Receiving minimal competition from the slightest of a Crescent Moon, the Scorpion emerges from the twilight around 8:45 PM, near its best viewing position of the year, with its tail curving down and left to the southern horizon, then curling back up to the stinger on the very end of its tail. Just right of due south, the star on the very end of the tail is Shaula, coming from the Arabic meaning “raised tail”.