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Stargazing in the early evening at summer’s end features the bright luminaries of the Summer Triangle and the magically glowing band of the Milky Way stretching from the northeastern horizon to the zenith, then sweeping to the southwestern horizon. It is a wonderful sight, especially for the binocular-toting stargazer!
Following the Summer Triangle in its nightly westward turn, just off the eastern shore of the Milky Way lies a curious group of stars, the constellation Delphinus the dolphin. These six, seven or eight stars (the exact number depends on the sharpness of your eyesight, and on the darkness of the sky) really do seem to form the outline of a leaping dolphin complete with snout, flippers, dorsal fin, curved back and tail flukes. Though it might be small, it is distinctive enough that once seen, this celestial dolphin will be a friend greeting you in the late summer and early fall for years to come.
A very chancy bonus may occur in the late September and early October skies. A comet just might brighten significantly to present a remarkable sight in the southwest shortly after sunset. Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS has skywatchers excited. Will it sport a bright head and grand, sweeping tail? Skywatchers can only hope!
The story above first appeared in our September / October 2024 issue.
