Kiss the Sky Tonight -- Month of July 2020

Illuminated by ultraviolet radiation from young, massive stars, M17, also known as the Omega Nebula (or the Swan Nebula), is one of the largest star-forming regions in the Milky Way galaxy. The Omega Nebula was discovered in 1745 by the Swiss astronomer Jean-Philippe Loys de Cheseaux. It is located 5500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius. The nebula has an apparent magnitude of 6 and can be seen with a pair of binoculars. M17, which appears near M16 and M18 in the sky, is best viewed on clear nights in July and August. M17 contains one of our galaxy’s youngest star clusters, at only 1 million years old. However, many of the young stars in this cluster are impossible to see because of the gas and dust that surrounds them. The powerful radiation from the young stars evaporates and erodes the dense clouds of cold gas in which new stars form. [Video Credits: NASA, JPL – Caltech, and the Office of Public Outreach – STScI] [Image Credit: ESO]
Kiss the Sky Tonight -- Month of July 2020
Welcome to the night sky report for July 2020 -- Your guide to the constellations, deep sky objects, planets, and celestial events that are observable during the month. In July, find the Scorpius constellation to identify the reddish supergiant Antares, which will lead you to discover a trio of globular star clusters, as well as three nebulas: the Omega Nebula (M17), the Lagoon Nebula (M8), and the Trifid Nebula (M20).The night sky is truly a celestial showcase. Get outside and explore its wonders from your own backyard.
The warm nights of July provide endless summer treasures to enjoy.
Scuttling above the southern horizon is Scorpius, the scorpion who in Greek mythology stung Orion to death before being crushed. Scorpius’ prominent fishhook star pattern resembles the creature’s outline.
The heart of the scorpion is marked by Antares, a reddish supergiant star nearing the end of its life. Antares is one of the largest known stars. If placed at the center of our solar system, its bloated bulk would extend past the orbit of Mars.
Next to Antares lies the globular star cluster NGC 6121 (M4). NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has resolved the center of the cluster, filled with thousands of ancient stars, all of which formed around the same time and are aging together.
Two other star clusters, the Butterfly Cluster and the Ptolemy Cluster, can be found on the other end of
Scorpius, just above the stinger. These are known as open clusters because they are much less compact than globular clusters. Each of these contains only about a hundred stars, most of which are hot, blue, and much younger than those in globular clusters.
East of Scorpius is Sagittarius, the archer. The main part of the pattern takes the outline of a teapot, from which the central regions of the Milky Way appear to rise like steam. The glowing star clouds in Sagittarius are filled with star clusters, including NGC 6656 (M22), one of the nearest globular star clusters to Earth. A Hubble image shows the core of the cluster and interactions in this crowded environment cause the massive corpses of stars, including black holes and neutron stars, to move toward the core.
Strung along the Milky Way above the teapot are numerous nebulas: glowing clouds of gas and dust where new stars are forming. Three of the most prominent are the Omega Nebula (M17), the Lagoon Nebula (M8), and the Trifid Nebula (M20). NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope collects infrared light from these regions, revealing cool and warm gas that is otherwise invisible to human eyes. Over millions of years, the gas and dust in stellar nurseries like these will eventually come together to form new stars, adding to the constellations in the sky.
The night sky is always a celestial showcase. Explore its wonders from your own backyard.
The following Deep Sky Objects are found in constellations that peak during the month. Some can be viewed with a small telescope, but the majority will require a moderate to large telescope. The following is adapted from my personal viewing list: "The Guy Pirro 777 Best and Brightest Deep Sky Objects."
Constellation: Aquila
NGC 6709 Open Cluster P1
NGC 6724 Open Cluster P205
NGC 6735 Open Cluster P206
NGC 6738 Open Cluster P18
NGC 6741 Planetary Nebula P207 Phantom Streak Nebula
NGC 6755 Open Cluster Herschel 400 H19-7
NGC 6756 Open Cluster Herschel 400 H62-7
NGC 6760 Globular Cluster P19
NGC 6781 Planetary Nebula Herschel 400 H743-3
NGC 6790 Planetary Nebula P208
NGC 6803 Planetary Nebula P209
NGC 6840 Open Cluster P124
NGC 6843 Open Cluster P125
Constellation: Lyra
NGC 6720 Planetary Nebula M57 Ring Nebula
NGC 6779 Globular Cluster M56
NGC 6791 Open Cluster P162
Constellation: Sagittarius
IC 4684 Diffuse Nebula P182
IC 4725 Open Cluster M25
IC 4776 Planetary Nebula P183
NGC 6440 Globular Cluster Herschel 400 H150-1
NGC 6445 Planetary Nebula Herschel 400 H586-2 Little Gem Nebula
NGC 6469 Open Cluster P184
NGC 6494 Open Cluster M23
NGC 6507 Open Cluster P185
NGC 6514 Diffuse Nebula M20, Herschel 400 H41-1 Trifid Nebula
NGC 6520 Open Cluster Herschel 400 H7-7
NGC 6522 Globular Cluster Herschel 400 H49-1
NGC 6523 Diffuse Nebula M8 Lagoon Nebula
NGC 6528 Globular Cluster Herschel 400 H200-2
NGC 6530 Open Cluster P49
NGC 6531 Open Cluster M21
NGC 6540 Globular Cluster Herschel 400 H198-2
NGC 6544 Globular Cluster Herschel 400 H197-2
NGC 6546 Open Cluster P106
NGC 6553 Globular Cluster Herschel 400 H12-4
NGC 6558 Globular Cluster P107
NGC 6561 Open Cluster P186
NGC 6563 Planetary Nebula P187
NGC 6565 Planetary Nebula P248
NGC 6567 Planetary Nebula P188
NGC 6568 Open Cluster Herschel 400 H30-7
NGC 6569 Globular Cluster Herschel 400 H201-2
NGC 6583 Open Cluster Herschel 400 H31-7
NGC 6590 Open Cluster P50
NGC 6603 Open Cluster M24 Sagittarius Star Cloud
NGC 6613 Open Cluster M18
NGC 6618 Open Cluster M17 Omega Nebula
NGC 6624 Globular Cluster Herschel 400 H50-1
NGC 6626 Globular Cluster M28
NGC 6629 Planetary Nebula Herschel 400 H204-2
NGC 6637 Globular Cluster M69
NGC 6638 Globular Cluster Herschel 400 H51-1
NGC 6642 Globular Cluster Herschel 400 H205-2
NGC 6645 Open Cluster Herschel 400 H23-6
NGC 6647 Open Cluster P108
NGC 6652 Globular Cluster P31
NGC 6656 Globular Cluster M22
NGC 6681 Globular Cluster M70
NGC 6715 Globular Cluster M54 Sagitarius Dwarf Galaxy
NGC 6716 Open Cluster P109
NGC 6717 Globular Cluster P110
NGC 6723 Globular Cluster P52
NGC 6809 Globular Cluster M55
NGC 6818 Planetary Nebula Herschel 400 H51-4
NGC 6822 Galaxy C57 Barnard’s Galaxy
NGC 6864 Globular Cluster M75
Constellation: Scorpius
NGC 6093 Globular Cluster M80
NGC 6121 Globular Cluster M4
NGC 6124 Open Cluster C75
NGC 6139 Globular Cluster P53
NGC 6144 Globular Cluster Herschel 400 H10-6
NGC 6153 Planetary Nebula P189
NGC 6178 Open Cluster P111
NGC 6192 Open Cluster P190
NGC 6216 Open Cluster P210
NGC 6231 Open Cluster C76
NGC 6242 Open Cluster P54
NGC 6249 Open Cluster P191
NGC 6259 Open Cluster P112
NGC 6268 Open Cluster P192
NGC 6281 Open Cluster P55
NGC 6302 Planetary Nebula C69 Butterfly Nebula
NGC 6318 Open Cluster P249
NGC 6322 Open Cluster P56
NGC 6374 Open Cluster P193
NGC 6383 Open Cluster P57
NGC 6388 Globular Cluster P58
NGC 6396 Open Cluster P194
NGC 6400 Open Cluster P195
NGC 6404 Open Cluster P250
NGC 6405 Open Cluster M6 Butterfly Cluster
NGC 6416 Open Cluster P59
NGC 6425 Open Cluster P113
NGC 6441 Globular Cluster P114
NGC 6451 Open Cluster Herschel 400 H13-6
NGC 6453 Globular Cluster P115
NGC 6475 Open Cluster M7 Ptolemy Cluster
NGC 6496 Globular Cluster P60
Constellation: Scutum
NGC 6625 Open Cluster P196
NGC 6631 Open Cluster P251
NGC 6649 Open Cluster P197
NGC 6664 Open Cluster Herschel 400 H12-8
NGC 6694 Open Cluster M26
NGC 6704 Open Cluster P198
NGC 6705 Open Cluster M11 Wild Duck Cluster
NGC 6712 Globular Cluster Herschel 400 H47-1
Constellation: Serpens Cauda
IC 1276 Globular Cluster P118
IC 4756 Open Cluster P62
NGC 6535 Globular Cluster P199
NGC 6539 Globular Cluster P119
NGC 6604 Open Cluster P63
NGC 6611 Open Cluster M16 Eagle Nebular Cluster
For more information:
Northern Latitudes:
http://hubblesite.org/videos/tonights_sky
https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/planner.cfm
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/whats-up-skywatching-tips-from-nasa/
https://www.youtube.com/user/JPLnews/search?query=What’s+Up
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/skyreport
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/skyreport/whats-new
http://outreach.as.utexas.edu/public/skywatch.html
http://griffithobservatory.org/sky/skyreport.html
http://www.beckstromobservatory.com/whats-up-in-tonights-sky-2/
https://www.fairbanksmuseum.org/planetarium/eye-on-the-night-sky
http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/astronomy/nightsky/
http://www.schoolsobservatory.org.uk/learn/astro/nightsky/maps
https://www.astromart.com/news/search?category_id=3&q=kiss+the+sky&from=&to
Equatorial Latitudes:
http://www.caribbeanastronomy.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=30&Itemid=51
Southern Latitudes:
https://www.stardome.org.nz/astronomy/star-charts/
Astromart News Archives:
https://www.astromart.com/news/search?category_id=3&q=.
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