1. Plenty of bright planets, the Milky Way, a reliably good meteor shower, and the biggest Full Moon of the year. Here's what to see in the Night Sky This Month.

 

2. A relatively recent discovery for me - the wonderful 'Actual Astronomy' podcast. Each of the more than 200 episodes are packed full of useful details for stargazers as well as some engaging conversation between the two hosts. In one of this week's episodes, I join Chris and Shane as a 'special guest' to talk astronomy gear, solar observing, binoculars, and the pleasures of visual deep-sky observing with a small telescope (see Episode #234).

 

3. Grab your telescope and let's head outside to tour the M81 Galaxy Group, one of the close such groups to our own Milky Way.

 

4. A contemplation of the summer solstice and whether the tilt of our planet, which makes the seasons possible, also contributed to the emergence of life on Earth.

 

5. The most recent work out of a prolific research group at Harvard, with the help of a fire hose of data from the Gaia space telescope, helps explain the origins of Barnard's Loop in the constellation Orion.

 

And the astronomy quote of the month:

 

"The most remarkable discovery in all of astronomy is that the stars are made of atoms of the same kind as those on the earth.”

- Richard Feynman

 

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Wishing you clear skies!

 

Brian Ventrudo

Publisher

CosmicPursuits.com