Trivia question: When do the greatest number of Americans look up at the sky? My vote is July 4 at around nine in the evening. Waiting for the fireworks to begin, millions stare blankly into the darkening arena above them, even if few are able to identify the stars and planets that make sky watching a joy.
A pity, because it takes only a minute to point out celestial sights to your companions while waiting for the show to start. This year on Independence Day, Venus blazes above the western twilight as the most brilliant star in the heavens. Facing it, you’ll find the sky’s second-brightest light--Jupiter--directly to your left, floating in the south, awaiting its collision this month with comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. The bright orange star nearly overhead is Arcturus, 36 light-years away. And suddenly the night contains friends instead of strangers.
In addition to assorted stars, faint flashes ...
