The Stars This Week

Chart time 8 p.m.

Sunday

A reader wants to know about good binoculars choices for stargazing. An ideal pair of binoculars would be either a 7x50 or 10x50 with the first number referring to the binoculars power, the second the size of the lens in millimeters. Smaller lens sizes are meant for daytime use like bird watching while higher powers over 10 can shake too much when handheld and require the use of a tripod.

Monday

Bright yellow Jupiter shines very low in the southwestern skies during evening twilight. The giant world is preparing to leave the evening sky scene shortly. Telescopes and binoculars will show off the four largest moons and colorful bands of this amazing planet.

Tuesday

Pink red Mercury glitters to the southwest of Jupiter. The planets featureless phase shape can be seen by those using moderate size telescopes.

Wednesday

The moon reaches last quarter phase. This is a good time to search for craters and surface features with binoculars and telescopes. The late rising moon will not appear until after midnight.

Thursday

Astronomically the sun enters the constellation of Libra the scales this week. This is a good area filled with deep sky objects and colorful double stars best seen during the summer.

Weekend

The moon skips north of the bright blue white star Regulus Friday morning. This star marks the heart of Leo the lion a well known member of the zodiac Red Mars shines in the south after sunset. The planet continues to fade in brightness as it draws away from the earth. To the left of Mars glows pale gold Saturn.