Celestial Lights—July 2009
By Phyllis Burton Pitluga

Where were you on July 20, 1969?

Full Moon through a telescope, no credit line given. To see the Apollo 11 historic site, view the Moon when it is fully or nearly fully light, around July 7. Imagine an equator cutting left to right across the middle of the Moon, and another up and down line between the Moon’s North Pole and the South Pole. The Apollo 11 site is at the equator one-third to the right of the north-south line. Gaze in wonder and recall that time 40 years ago.

On that sunny summer Sunday afternoon, I was at a beach on Lake Cayuga in central New York State. I will never forget it, because something momentous was about to occur. Along with millions of others around Earth, I strained to hear every word of the radio and television coverage. This was to be the first landing of humans on another world. Low on fuel, computer-overload alarms sounding and coming in over a large crater and jumble of rocks, the pilot astronaut took over manual control. It was as though the Earth’s atmosphere seemed to exhale a sigh of relief as the world heard, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” 

After resting, the two astronauts began their 160-minute walk upon the Moon. As he stepped onto the lunar surface, Commander Neil Armstrong said, “That is one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.” Minutes later, Dr. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin joined Armstrong. As they bounced around in one-sixth gravity, conducting experiments and gathering Moon rocks, the two humans left a trail of historic footprints on the desolate and stark moonscape under a star-filled daytime sky as well as on their home planet, Earth. Less than 24 hours later, they lifted off to dock with the Command Module in orbit above with Michael Collins, and then returned safely to Earth.

The Apollo 11 mission was 40 years ago. From July 1969 to December 1972, six successful missions to the Moon allowed 12 more humans to walk upon another world. This was thought to be the beginning of human exploration on other planets and moons. Instead, since then, astronauts have only gone as far as Earth’s orbit—today in the International Space Station. All other missions have been through the camera eyes of robotic space explorers. Robots are good, but they don’t have the problem-solving and selection skills of humans. 

After decades of ignoring the beckoning call of the Moon, new European, Japanese, Chinese and Indian space agencies are actively targeting the Moon, plus the US has now resumed lunar exploration. Under development or in the proposal phase are missions by Russia, the United Kingdom, South Korea and by a private company. A new era is beginning that should lead again to human explorers on the Moon, and finally on to Mars.



Sky Calendar—July 2009

By following the Moon as the biggest and brightest “pointer” in the sky, during the month you can identify different planets and bright stars. On following nights you can relocate them, but without the Moon—the Moon moves about 25 times its own diameter from one night to the next. The Moon is much closer to Earth than the planets of our solar system and the stars are even farther away. So, when the Moon appears close to a celestial light, they are truly separated by millions, billions or trillions of miles.

As July begins, Mercury is behind the Sun; Venus and Mars are in the morning sky; Jupiter rises in the eastern sky after sunset; and Saturn is an evening planet in the west. Because Saturn’s slender rings are edge-on to us now and the planet is beyond the Sun, Saturn is much fainter than usual. You can measure separations of objects in the sky by finger widths using your fully extended arm and orienting your hand (see below). 



July 3, Friday: Venus is three finger widths below the Pleiades star cluster.

July 4, Saturday: The Moon passes half a finger’s width above the reddish star Antares in the constellation of Scorpious. Earth is farthest from the Sun, at 94.5 million miles in its yearly journey (average distance is 93 million miles). Paradoxically, this is also the time of year when our days are longer and hotter than when we are closest in early January. This is because the northern hemisphere is tipped toward the Sun now. 

July 7, Tuesday: The Full Moon rises at sunset. For the next two weeks, the Moon rises about 50 minutes later each night, becoming visible in the morning sky as it orbits toward the Sun.

July 10, Friday: The Moon passes two finger widths north of Jupiter tonight while Mars passes two and a half fingers below the Pleiades star cluster.

July 13, Monday: With binoculars or telescope, see Neptune above Jupiter.

July 14, Tuesday: Venus is one and a half fingers above the reddish star Aldebaran.

July 15, Wednesday: Last Quarter Moon rises at midnight.

July 18–19, Saturday–Sunday: The Waning Crescent Moon passes above the Pleiades, then Mars, and finally Venus in the dawn skies. 

July 21, Tuesday: Today is New Moon (“no Moon” because the dark side faces Earth). The New Moon is also closest to the Earth, so tidal extremes on Earth will be large. A total eclipse of the Sun also is visible across Asia.

July 25, Saturday: Saturn is three and a half fingers above the slender crescent Moon in the evening sky.

July 27, Monday: Mars is two and a half fingers above Aldebaran.

July 28, Tuesday: First Quarter Moon

July 31, Friday: The Moon passes half a finger above the red star Antares.


Phyllis Burton Pitluga is Astronomer Emeritus at Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, Chicago. She is now a San Miguel resident.