July 8, 2026: Locate Hercules and the great globular cluster M13 after evening twilight. Follow Venus near Regulus, Mars with Taurus, Saturn before sunrise, and Uranus through a binocular.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:24 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:28 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Venus as an Evening Star
Hercules High In Sky
Step outside about two hours after sunset, approximately the end of evening twilight.
Blue-white Vega, the third brightest star in the sky at mid-northern latitudes, is high in the eastern sky. Yellow-orange Arcturus is two-thirds of the way from the southwest horizon to overhead. Hercules, the Kneeler, is about one-third of the way from Vega to Arcturus.
Hercules’ stars are not bright, although they form the foreground for a celestial wonder known as a globular cluster. First, the stars. The constellation represents the hero from mythology who performed 12 legendary labors – slaying the Nemean Lion, killing the Lernaean Hydra, and cleaning the Augean Stables, among others.
The Keystone
In the sky, Hercules is upside down and nearly overhead. The easiest part of the figure to initially locate is “The Keystone,” an isosceles trapezoid that forms the Kneeler’s waist and knees. It is made by the stars Pi (π), Epsilon (ε), Zeta (ζ), and Eta (η) Herculis. This shape is slightly larger than a binocular field.
Because Hercules is inverted, Sarin – “the kneeler’s left shoulder” – and Kornephoros – “the club bearer” – are below. Farther below is Rasalgethi – “the kneeler’s head” – that is to the upper right of Rasalhague – “the head of the serpent collector” (Ophiuchus).
Star Cluster
Second, return to the Keystone and locate the stars Zeta and Eta. The star cluster, appearing as a small fuzzy spot through a binocular, is about one-third of the way from Eta to Zeta. It is cataloged as Messier 13 (M13), the 13th entry on the list of the 18th-century comet hunter Charles Messier. Simply point a binocular toward the Keystone and shift the binocular slightly until the cluster is found. Looking up from a recliner or from a blanket on the ground makes the view easier.
In a dark rural location away from outdoor lighting, M13 is visible to the unaided eye. It is slightly smaller than the Full moon’s apparent size, making it an easy target, even for beginners.
Comparing Clusters
Through a telescope, the cluster, known as a globular cluster, appears jammed with stars, differing from open star clusters like the Pleiades, Hyades, and Beehive, whose stars appear more widely spaced. Globular clusters have different orbits and chemical compositions from open clusters.
The cluster may contain a few hundred thousand stars, while others estimate substantially more. Revolving outside the Milky Way’s disk, M13 is about 20,000 light-years away, roughly 50 times farther than the Pleiades, which revolve in the plane of the galaxy.
Attend a local astronomy club’s telescope night and ask a sky watcher to show you M13 through a telescope – an amazing view.
About a century ago, astronomer Harlow Shapley mapped the locations of 69 globular clusters and found that they were not uniformly distributed around the sky, but centered on Sagittarius, in the south-southeast at this hour. He initially calculated that the sun was about 50,000 light-years from the center. More refined measurements by Shapley and others place the center about 27,000 light-years away.
Planet Watch
Three bright planets – Venus, Saturn, and Mars – are visible during the nighttime hours, while Uranus might be visible through a binocular.
Saturn, Moon
An hour before sunrise, the moon, 44% illuminated, is nearly halfway from the east-southeast horizon to overhead. The lunar orb is over 11° to Saturn’s upper left.
The Ringed Wonder slowly creeps eastward in front of Pisces. Even at this level of morning twilight, the rings are visible through a telescope, although better views are ahead when the planet is high in a dark sky.
Mars, Taurus
Farther eastward, Mars is nearly 20° above the east-northeast horizon. It is east of an imaginary line from Aldebaran, Taurus’ brightest star, to the Pleiades star cluster. In this moonlight, the stellar bundle might be visible without a binocular’s optical assistance.
Binocular View – Mars, Uranus
Use the binocular to locate Mars. Then shift it so that Mars is toward the lower left edge of the field of view. Aquamarine Uranus is near the center. The bright crescent moon’s light may interfere with the view. Testing the sky’s brightness limit helps with the location. Omega Tauri (ω Tau) is 0.6° to Mars’ lower right. The star is only about 5% of Mars’ brightness. Similarly, 37 Tauri (37 Tau), off center to the upper left, is about the same brightness as Omega Tauri. Nearby, star 39 Tauri (39 Tau) is 25% of 37 Tauri’s brightness and nearly the same brightness as Uranus. If you can see 39 Tauri, then Uranus is visible near the center of the field of view. Averted vision may help. Look toward the edge of the field and the planet may appear in your peripheral vision. Better views of Uranus are ahead as the planet appears higher in a darker sky on moonless nights.
Binocular View – Mars, V of Taurus
Shift the binocular so that Mars is near the top of the field. Aldebaran and the Hyades cluster are near the bottom, together forming the “V” of Taurus that outlines the Bull’s head. This morning, Mars is 6.6° to Epsilon Tauri’s (ε Tau) upper left, the point of the V. During the next several mornings, watch the planet march eastward past the stars. On July 13, Mars passes Aldebaran.
Venus, Regulus
After sunset, brilliant Venus is one evening before its conjunction with Regulus, Leo’s brightest star. One hour after sunset, the Evening Star is nearly 15° above the western horizon. It is lower and farther south along the horizon than it was a few weeks ago. This continues until the Evening Star disappears into evening twilight later in the year.
Look for Regulus, 1.4° to Venus’ lower left. Tomorrow evening Venus appears 1.0° above the star.
Watch Venus and Mars move against their backgrounds while the moon wanes in the eastern predawn sky. Saturn shows very little movement against the starry background. Use a binocular for Uranus and M13. Find Hercules and its great star cluster after darkness falls.
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