Here is a description of the night sky on Saturday, August 24, 1867 at Fort Stevenson on the upper Missouri River, south of present-day Garrison, North Dakota:
“A beautiful night. How amazingly clear the air is! Never have I seen so many stars, in Europe or America, and never have they seemed to shine with such brilliance, either at the zenith or at the edge of the horizon. The feeling of the spaciousness of the sky and earth is more striking here than in any other place I have been.”
That was a quote from the journal of Philippe Regis De Trobriand. He was the commander of Fort Stevenson in Dakota Territory from 1867-1869.
When was the last time you laid back and savored the cosmos on a warm summer night? There certainly is more light pollution these days compared to de Trobriand’s time. There are also a lot more satellites up there than most of us realize.
The stars, of course, are brightest during a clear night with a new moon. There was a new moon on July 5, so we are heading toward a full moon on July 21.
See falling stars this month
There will also be some falling stars this month! The Delta Aquarids meteor shower began Friday, July 12, and runs through August 23. The peak viewing period will come on the night of July 28 and early morning of July 29 with around 20 meteors per hour.
Common constellations of summer include the big and little dippers, Cygnus the swan, Hercules, Lyra the lyre, Sagittarius the archer, and Scorpius the scorpion. The Milky Way, the “backbone of the sky” is also up there in all its glory. It is our home, along with some 400 billion stars, dust, and gasses that compose it.
So, make a point to search out a good comfortable place with a minimum of light pollution, lay back, and soak up the cosmos this month or perhaps later this summer. There is a good place to do so within a few miles of everyone. For some, it might be as simple as turning down the house lights and going outside for a bit.
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More Information:
- Tonight’s Sky - July (Hubblesite.org)
- Interactive Sky Chart (Sky & Telescope)
