The Stars for July 2008

When you name a star with us you can choose the constellation (area of the night sky) in which your star is located. The following chart shows which Name A Star Live constellations are visible during the first few hours after sunset this month:

Best Time to View the Stars

The best time to view the stars is when there is no moon out: Like the light pollution caused by city lights, moonlight drowns out the faint celestial objects otherwise visible through telescopes. In July 2008, it's best to view the stars during the first and last weeks of the month.

Ursa Minor		Scorpius
Ursa Minor features the "Little Dipper," outlined above. The"North Star" is part of the Little Dipper. Currently, the North Star provides a fairly accurate indication of true north. But over the next several thousand years the Earth's axis will gradually shift its orientation to the stars such that the North Star will no longer really represent true north.		Scorpius — the scorpion! The stars at right represent the head of the scorpion, in the middle is the scorpion's body, and the stars that form the curve at left represent the scorpion's tail ending with two, close stars that are the stinger. If you live in Australia, South Africa, or other parts of the southern hemisphere, Scorpius will appear 'upside down' compared to this image.

How Other Cultures Have Viewed the Stars

Most people today refer to the North Star as just that — the "North Star." The modern astronomical community calls it "Polaris." The Polynesians called it "Hokupa'a," and used it to navigate throughout the Pacific Ocean. The Chumash Indians of California called it "Sky Coyote," and viewed it — together with the sun — as playing a special role in maintaining the balance of the natural world. Shakespeare referred to this star as the "Lodestar." Other names for this star include the Greek name "Kynosoura," the Chinese name "Tou Mu," and the Sanskrit name "Dhruva."

The Butterfly Cluster (NGC 6405) in Scorpius Credit: NASA

Scorpius was known by the native peoples of the Marshall Islands as "Dümur," a young man with a bent back. The Maoris (from New Zealand) viewed this constellation not as a scorpion, but as a fish hook. The people of India viewed these stars as three separate constellations: The head of what we call "Scorpius" was seen as a crown, the body as an elephant tusk, and the tail as a small scorpion.

When you name a star with Name A Star Live, you are symbolically giving a star a name of your own choosing. What's more, we make this symbolic act "real" both by launching your star's name into space, and by providing you an opportunity to view your star — live — through an online telescope (with our Deluxe, Framed and Ultimate Gift Sets).

The Planets This Month

If you live in the northern hemisphere of Earth (the US, Europe, China, etc.), Jupiter is the very bright point of light you'll see toward the southeast shortly after sunset. If you live in the southern hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc.), Jupiter appears in the northeast shortly after sunset.

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Our Virtual Planetarium™ astronomy software shows you all the constellations and planets you can see from your location on any night of the year. We include this fascinating software in our Deluxe, Framed, and Ultimate Gift Sets. Our planisphere constellation finder is a great supplement to Virtual Planetarium™: Consider adding a planisphere to whatever gift set you buy.