Constellation Hercules in the Summer Night Sky

With the bright moon out of the late evening sky, stargazers will be treated to views of the constellation Hercules. Although it is the 5th largest constellation, it is difficult to see since many of the stars are dim. To spot Hercules, look to the west in the summer months at around 10pm. See the Big Dipper low to the horizon towards the North West. Now look overhead at your position and look for an outline of the letter H. That is the constellation Hercules. 

Hercules is named for the son of Zeus who defeated the lion Leo and the multi-headed beast Hydra. While fighting with Hydra, Hercules also killed the little crab called Cancer.


The picture of the constellation should be shown upside down. The Alpha star is the head of Hercules and the Gamma star would be the end of the club. M13 is located on the lower back of Hercules.

Within Hercules is quite possibly the most celebrated object in the summertime skies - The Great Cluster in Hercules which is also known as M13. The Great Cluster is 25,000 light years away, 160 light years across, and is made of tens of thousands of stars. The M represents the initial of the comet observer, Charles Messier (1730-1817) who first noted the cluster in 1764 while looking for comets.

But it was actually Edmund Halley who first noticed it 50 years earlier in 1715 – same Edmund Halley who discovered the comet of the same name.

To locate Messier 13, look toward the four stars, known as the "Keystone," which forms the body of Hercules. It is between the two western stars of the keystone that you can find the Great Globular Cluster of Hercules.

It Seems Clams Like Salt

Unites States Heat Wave July 2012

The United States Heat Wave of July 2012 has been near-unprecedented for several major cities according to NBC News.

*In Chicago, the temperature reached 100 degrees for three consecutive days from Wednesday      through Friday, July 4-6, which ties t he records of July 3-5, 1911, and August 4-6, 1947.

*St Louis' streak of 10 consecutive days of 100 or higher (June 28 through July 7) has only been topped by the Dust Bowl year of 1825 when the streak was 13 days.

*In Minneapolis, the mercury hit triple-digits on Wednesday and Friday, July 4 and 6, at the Twin Cities International Airport; the last year there were at least two 100-degree high temperatures in the Twin Cities was 1988, when there were four.

*Washington DC hit 100 on Sunday, July 8, for the fourth consecutive day, tying a record set July 19-22, 1930.

Forecasters warned that a new round of record highs could soon bake the Western states. This western heat wave will start tomorrow, Monday, July 9, where the Rockies are bracing to receive this kind of heat.

Factors behind the Heat Wave

The positioning of the jet stream (an area of maximum winds high above the ground) is the major player in heat waves. The jet stream "ribbon" swirls up and down as it circles the globe. If you are on the north side of the "ribbon" you experience cooler air. Conversely, when you are on the southern side of the "ribbon" you experience hotter air. Meteorologists call this a "ridge" in the jet stream. The areas that lie under that ridge can experience heat waves.