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Scorpius - the most recognisable of the winter constellations - is
positioned overhead. Its distinctive curving line of stars includes
the bright reddish star Antares. Accompanying Scorpius is the loose
conglomeration of brightish stars that forms - with a lot of
imagination - Sagittarius. These two constellations stand in front
of the luminous band of the Milky Way, the light of countless faint
stars too distant to be seen individually. This 'city of stars' is
our Galaxy, the centre of which lies in the Scorpius/Sagittarius
direction. The centre of the galaxy is heavily obscured by dust
clouds in our line of sight, but some of its light does reach us,
taking 25 000 years to do so!
Towards the south-west, the Southern Cross is now lying on its side,
with the two bright Pointer stars above it. The bright star above
the north-western horizon is Arcturus.
Planet Jupiter is still the brightest object in the sky (after the
Moon), high above the eastern horizon, not very far from Scorpius.
The Moon in the evening sky until Aug 12 and again after Aug 25.
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