"What the Stars Look Like on the First Nights of Summer"

Scheduled air date: 2002 Jun 17-23

Summer Solstice—the first day of Summer—occurs on June 21 (for the Northern Hemisphere) and marks the point when the Sun appears farthest North.  On the Tropic of Cancer (latitude 23°27' N), the Sun will appear directly overhead at noon, and for most of the Northern Hemisphere, this will mark the longest day and the shortest night of the year.

After sunset, the planets Jupiter and Venus, and the stars of Spring—including the constellation Leo,the lion—can be seen setting in the West...
(Shown about an hour after sunset for mid-Northern latitudes.)

...while the stars of Summer—including the "Summer Triangle" asterism—can be seen rising in the East.
(Shown about an hour after sunset for mid-Northern latitudes.)

If you wish to view illustrations for other episodes, please see our Star Gazer Illustrated directory.

Illustrations on this page were created using TheSky Astronomy Software, an advanced desktop planetarium program designed for Windows. Copyright © 1999-2006 by Software Bisque, Inc.