BY KAHA GEDI
If you’ve ever looked up at the night sky and wished you knew what to look for, the coming weeks offer a perfect chance to dive in. With just a pair of binoculars, you can witness some incredible cosmic events this June and July. Better yet, there’s absolutely no telescope or expert knowledge required.
On the nights of June 16th and 17th, look toward the western sky just after sunset. You’ll see Mars and a bright star named Regulus shining very close together. Mars will have a reddish-gold color, while Regulus glows more white blue. They’ll be less than a finger’s width apart in the sky, creating a beautiful pairing that’s easy to spot.
“Sometimes all it takes is slowing down and looking up to see the universe’s beauty.”
Around this time of year, you might also notice something strange and glowing in the northern sky: noctilucent clouds. These thin, silver-blue clouds form high above Earth and are made of ice crystals on tiny bits of dust from space. They only appear in summer, and only late at night, but if you see them, they look like glowing threads or waves across the sky.
Another great night to watch the sky is June 29th. That evening, a small crescent moon will pass very close to Mars again. Look west shortly after sunset, and you’ll see the moon with just a sliver of light showing. If you look carefully, you might also see the rest of the moon faintly glowing from Earthshine (sunlight reflecting off Earth) and lighting up the moon’s dark side. Nearby, Mars will be shining close to the moon, creating a lovely view through binoculars.
As the season goes on, look for three bright stars forming a big triangle high in the sky, also known as the Summer Triangle. The stars are called Vega, Deneb, and Altair. They help guide your eyes to the Milky Way, our galaxy, which looks like a soft band of light stretching across the sky. Point your binoculars anywhere along it, and you’ll find countless stars packed together in beautiful patterns.
One special target is the Hercules Cluster, also called M13. It’s a giant ball of very old stars, around half a million of them. Through binoculars, it looks like a fuzzy spot, but it’s really an enormous group of stars all crowded together far from Earth. To find it, look between the bright stars Vega and Arcturus, in a diamond-shaped group called the Keystone in the Hercules constellation.
Another great area to explore is the constellation Sagittarius. It’s hard to recognize as an archer, but many people spot it by finding a shape that looks like a teapot. If you find the “spout” and look upward with binoculars, you’ll see the thickest part of the Milky Way. The view is packed with stars and is one of the most stunning sights of the summer sky.
Don’t forget about the full moon. It happens once a month, and the best time to watch it is right as it rises in the east at sunset. At that moment, it glows orange and looks much bigger than it does later in the night. It’s simple, but always a beauty especially through binoculars, where you can see intricate craters and details on its surface.
It’s amazing to think about how small we are in the universe. When we pause and take a moment to do something so small as looking up, we can appreciate the beauty all around us. Sometimes, all it takes is slowing down and being present to see something truly wonderful. The universe has something to show you. Don’t miss it.
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