July 2022 Stargazing Guide
Video starts with moving night sky and a swirling object turns into Orbax.
- [Orbax]: Greetings junior scientists, scientists and citizens of this great big weird, wild and wonderful world in which we live. As always I'm your humble science communicator the great Orbax, coming to you here from the Department of Physics at the University of Guelph and I'd like to welcome you to our July 2022 Star Gazing Guide.
Orbax swirls out and screen fades to black.
Fades into a starry night sky background and Orbax appears.
- [Orbax]: Let's walk through a typical summertime star gaze. It's midnight, you've got your blanket
Image of a quilt appears in the upper left.
- [Orbax]: and some snacks,
Image of pretzels and chips appears on lower left.
- [Orbax]: your notebook
Image of a notebook and pen replaces quilt image.
- [Orbax]: or device
Image of a smart phone replaces image of pretzel snacks.
- [Orbax]: and you take some time to look up.
Orbax points and looks up and shrinks as screen fades to white.
Orbax reappears on a black background.
- [Orbax]: The summer triangle should quickly
Orbax makes a triangle with his thumbs and index fingers and the background becomes a colourful moving triangle pattern.
- [Orbax]: become your new favorite summer asterism.
Background changes into a starry night sky.
- [Orbax]: Once spotted you'll be able to watch it all summer long as it ascends in the eastern sky.
A pink triangle appears in the sky
- [Orbax]: It's almost like a celestial calendar
Background changes to orange and yellow with a calendar indicating the month of July and some sea shells.
- [Orbax]: rising higher and higher throughout the summer until early autumn when it's directly overhead.
Background fades into a starry night sky.
- [Orbax]: Now remember that asterisms aren't the same thing as constellations. Orion's belt is an asterism.
Circle on the night sky appears to indicate Orion's Belt.
- [Orbax]: Orion the hunter is a constellation.
Lines and illustration appear in the sky indicating the Orion constellation.
Illustration disappears and the night sky is left.
- [Orbax]: An asterism is a quickly recognizable pattern of stars and the summer triangle is comprised of three stars which are each part of their own constellations.
Diagram of the sky with constellations indicated appears in the background.
Pink triangle reappears indicating the summer triangle.
- [Orbax]: First look east you'll spot Vega, the brightest star in the summer triangle. A twinkling blue-white star in the constellation Lyra the Lyre.
A diagram indicating the Lyre constellation appears.
- [Orbax]: Down and right you'll spot the second brightest star in the triangle, Altair. Altair is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila, the eagle.
A diagram of the constellation Aquila replaces Lyre.
- [Orbax]: Finally head left and up a little and you'll find Deneb which happens to be the brightest star in another constellation, Cygnus the swan.
A diagram of the constellation Cygnus the Swan replaces Aquila
- [Orbax]: These three stars and their constellations should be visible throughout the summer
Pink triangle flashes and then the 3 diagrams of the constellations reappear at once.
- [Orbax]: and the summer triangle itself should be visible even in the most light polluted cities.
Pink triangle reappears. Then all diagrams disappear.
- [Orbax]: Now if you manage to make it to a patch of dark sky you can actually use the summer triangle to your advantage.
Pink triangle appears again.
- [Orbax]: On the right hand side of the summer triangle, between Vega and Altair,
Vega and Altair are indicated.
- [Orbax]: you'll see a densely populated region of sky with a stream of stars that actually cut across Deneb in a giant arc.
Deneb is indicated and then the Milky Way is indicated brightly in the night sky image.
- [Orbax]: This is the sidelong view of the Milky Way, the galaxy within which our solar system resides!
Background swirls.
- [Orbax]: Remember to check in on the summer triangle throughout the summer junior scientists and make note as it rises in the sky in the coming months.
Background fades to a darker night sky with three stars of the summer triangle indicated in pink.
Screen fades to black. Full moon reappears in the background and Orbax appears.
- [Orbax]: The full moon this month is on the 13th and it's another SUPER MOON!
Background shifts to a diagram of Perigee and Apogee diagram that was used in a previous video to describe the super moon.
- [Orbax]: Last month we talked about what a super moon is and this month we get to experience the second of three super moons this year.
Video of a buck sitting on the grass appears in the background.
- [Orbax]: Settlers commonly referred to the July full moon as the buck moon or the thunder moon and we see it shining in the sky near the stars of Sagittarius.
Constellation diagram of Sagitarius appears in the background.
- [Orbax]: The Anishinaabe of the Great Lakes region called the July full moon the Halfway Summer Moon.
Image of a sun set on a lake appears in the background.
- [Orbax]: The Cree of central Canada called the July full moon the Feather Molting Moon,
Background shifts to a video of birds grooming.
- [Orbax]: a reference to when the wild waterfowl replace their old feathers with new ones. The Mi'kmaw of the East coast also mark the July moon with this behavior and refer to it as Peskewiku’s the Birds Shedding Feathers Moon.
Background video changes to field of corn in the wind.
- [Orbax]: The Cherokee nation refer to it as the Corn in Tassel Moon while the Mohawks call it the Fruits are Ripened Moon.
Video shifts to image of apple trees, with fruit hanging.
Video shifts to night sky background and Orbax appears.
- [Orbax]: After last month's early morning planetary alignment our celestial comrades go their own ways. Mars and Venus
Image of each planet appears as Orbax points.
- [Orbax]: will remain morning plants while Jupiter and Saturn
Image of each planet appears as Orbax points.
- [Orbax]: will become evening planets.
Planets disappear and it is just Orbax on a dark background.
- [Orbax]: It's July so that means METEORS!
Background changes to moving night sky wtih a new moon.
- [Orbax]: The new moon takes place on July 28th meaning that light from the moon will be minimal so we should be able to get a phenomenal view of the Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower.
Background changes to dusk with a starry sky reflected on a lake.
- [Orbax]: On July 28th and 29th after midnight, if you're lucky, you should be able to see up to 20 meteors an hour emanating from the constellation Aquarius in the Southeast.
Diagram of Aquarius appears in the background.
- [Orbax]: When the Earth travels through the tail of a comet, debris from that comet gets burned up in our atmosphere.
Background change to image of a planet with meteors shower in progress.
Background changes to night sky in the forest.
- [Orbax]: That's what we know as a meteor or a shooting star.
Background changes to a dark night sky with constellation of Aquarius indicated.
- [Orbax]: Although this meteor shower radiates from Aquarius shooting stars should actually be visible anywhere in the sky. I wish you luck junior scientists.
Background changes to a starry night sky with shooting stars.
- [Orbax]: Oftentimes July is hot and dry but the lack of cloud cover can result in some incredible stargazing.
Background shifts to a collage of videos with various planets and celestial events.
- [Orbax]: Now is your chance junior scientists to get out there and observe the beautiful cosmos that we're lucky enough to call our home. Can you believe it? All these planets and stars, meteors and moons, all circling and spiraling millions of miles away and yet somehow, someway, we're lucky enough to get to watch it all happen! It's all there waiting for you to discover and all you have to do is take some time to look up.
Orbax points and looks up and shrinks in the lower right corner as the screen fades to black.
Orbax reappears on a busy triangle pattern background.
- [Orbax]: See you next month and don't forget to have a science-tastic day! Special thanks to Royal City Science's own planetary geochemist Dr. Glynis Perrett for her help preparing our Star Gazing Guide.
Image of Dr. Perrett and a small Royal City Science logo appear.
- [Orbax]: We'd also like to thank the Skyview app and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
Background transitions to a night sky texture with the Sky View logo and tag line 'Explore the Universe.'