This summer's solar eclipse Aug. 21 is stirring up excitement, but just about any clear sky offers a nightly show if you appreciate the stars and planets. "Saturn is going to be at its best, particularly this summer," said George Moromisato, author of the new guidebook, "101 Amazing Sights of the Night Sky" (Adventure Publications). Showing up as a bright yellowish star by mid-June, it should be visible to all, but a pair of binoculars or a telescope will reveal its rings. For fans of moonlit hikes and paddles, full moons will be July 9, Aug. 7, and Sept. 6. (See Three Rivers Parks District for paddle programs.) The summer's darkest skies will be June 24, July 23, Aug. 21 and Sept. 20, making those dates the best for stargazing and seeing the Milky Way stretch like a river of light through Cynus, a cluster of four stars named for a swan. Another good reason to pull over on a dark country road or find a spot on a remote dock: watching for the Perseids meteor shower, which will peak the night of Aug. 12. "Just lie back, look at the sky and wait," Moromisato said.
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It’s too soon to tell how much the immigration crackdown is to blame.
