~ St. Maarten’s Backyard Astronomy for July 19-21 ~
Sun rises at 5:47am
Sun sets at 6:49pm
Lunar phase: Full Moon
Moon sets at 4:41am
Moon rises at 6:32pm
This weekend, we have a beautiful full moon. In July, we designate it by the name Full Buck Moon. Full moons always rise at sunset and set at sunrise. Check it yourself! We call this being “in opposition” – meaning that from our perspective on earth, the moon and the sun are on opposite sides of the sky and, in fact, when the full moon is overhead, you can be sure the sun is directly below your feet on the opposite side of the earth, in the “noon” position. The concept is fully realized when you stop to consider the reason why the moon is full – we are seeing the fully lit side of the moon, because we are positioned between the moon and the sun.
Full moons give loads of soft light, very romantic perhaps, but not so great for star-gazing. Only the brightest of stars can shine through. So let’s find the Scorpion in the Sky – a constellation that has bright stars powerful enough to stand up to the glare of a full moon! July and August are prime-time months for observing this magnificent constellation. As the summer season shifts to autumn, Scorpius will drift away towards the south-western horizon.
But for now, Scorpius sits in the high southern sky in the evening hours, among the hazy-starry band of the Milky Way. With a little imagination, you can see the curled tail of a scorpion ready to strike. There’s even a stinger poised at the tip, consisting of two stars – Shaula and Lesath – noticeable for their nearness to each other. The heart of the scorpion is marked by the brilliant red star Antares. This star’s name is derived from the observation that Antares looks a lot like Mars – both are reddish and quite bright. So, it was thought that Antares was the “rival” of Mars (also known as Ares, thus, anti-Ares).
In Greek mythology, it’s said that vain Orion the Hunter grew boastful about his hunting skills. He claimed there was no animal on Earth he couldn’t kill. When Orion began bragging he would kill every animal, the Earth goddess, Gaia, sent Scorpius the Scorpion to sting and kill Orion. And thus Scorpius and Orion became mortal enemies. It’s said that the king of the gods, Zeus, placed Orion and the Scorpion in the heavens in such a way that the two enemies would never meet.
In Polynesian storytelling traditions, the same star group is seen as the demigod Maui’s Fishhook. One day, Maui went fishing with his brothers in their outrigger canoe. He brought with him a magic fishhook, instructing his brothers that whatever he caught with it, they were to continue paddling and never look back. Maui caught a huge object and asked his brothers to paddle harder while he pulled the line. As Maui hauled, many rocks appeared. The more he pulled, the more rocks appeared. His brothers, tired from all the rowing, and curious about Maui’s catch, looked back. One of the brothers called out, “Look, Maui is pulling up land!”
Furious, Maui responded, “Fools! Had you not looked back, these islands would have been a great land.” These lovely stories remind us that we are connected to the stars throughout human history, and their meaning is as poetic as they are scientific.
Thank you for keeping up with the Night Sky articles, backyard astronomy designed for St. Maarten sky viewing. FYI: If you are out later on in the week, note that each star rises about four minutes earlier each day than written here, and the moon rises 50 minutes later. Night Sky is researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett. Earthsky.org is a key resource for information and images. Questions or comments? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
