Straddling the summer solstice, the Sun travels through the zodiac signs Gemini and Cancer. One dependable principle of sky-watching is that it’s easiest to view areas of the sky where the Sun is not. Why? Because we now have the most splendid view possible of the Galactic Center, the very spot upon which the much-hailed December 2012 alignment hinges. This is true every year, of course, but never has there been such a forceful reason to acquaint one’s self with the Milky Way as there is this summer. After darkness is firmly established, the Milky Way rises up grandly from the southern horizon and floats effortlessly overhead, splitting the sky in two halves like some sort of cosmic brain, before spilling over onto the northern rim of the sky. Once away from city lights, this luminous band of light becomes a seriously dramatic feature of the night sky. Let’s talk today about one of the chief delights of summer sky-watching our own galaxy, the Milky Way.
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