08/06/2015 – Ephemeris – There’s an eagle in the stars

Ephemeris for Thursday, August 6th.  The Sun rises at 6:34.  It’ll be up for 14 hours and 27 minutes, setting at 9:02.   The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 12:46 tomorrow morning.

The southernmost star in the Summer Triangle of three bright stars is Altair, high in the south-southeast in the evening.  It’s in the head of the constellation Aquila the Eagle.  Altair is flanked by two stars, the eagle’s shoulders, and farther out are the wing tips.  Other stars to the lower right are in its body and a last three in its tail.  Near the tail binoculars will show a fuzzy spot that telescopes show as a compact star cluster, sometimes called the Wild Duck Cluster for its nearly triangular shape.  Aquila is flying northeastward through the Milky Way, where it is split in two by a cloud of gas and dust.  According to mythology the Trojan boy Ganymede was taken to heaven at the behest of the god Zeus by this eagle.

Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Aquila the Eagle in the southeastern sky. Created using Stellarium.

Finder chart for M11, the Wild Duck Cluster, Created using Stellarium.