The midday sun now traces its lower arc through the southern sky
as coloured leaves seem to cling to branches that become sparser
of foliage with each passing day. The long shadows of a cool,
clear late afternoon soon morph into the darkness of early
evening, hastening the arrival of much sought-after starry
views. The Summer Triangle, that great, familiar asterism we’ve
watched crossing the sky for months now, composed of the stars
Vega, Deneb and Altair, has shifted fully into the western sky
by mid-evening, though still close to overhead. Viewers in rural
locations on dark, moonless nights will easily trace the edge-on
outline of our home galaxy, The Milky Way, as it wanders the
length of the Summer Triangle before plunging towards the
southwestern horizon, where the constellation Sagittarius is
taking its bow. The “Teapot” of Sagittarius, described here at
length last month, now appears to be tipping over in a strange,
almost comical pose; as if about to pour its contents across the
horizon where the last