Star Points for July, 1999; by Curtis Roelle The Lion and the Pearl No telescope, not even the observer's eye, is necessary to appreciate the power produced in the nuclear furnaces of stars on any clear July afternoon. The skin provides all the sensory stimulation needed to unmistakably notice the unmagnified energy being discharged by the nearby star we call Sol, our sun. You might find temporary relief from the July heat by keeping in mind that Earth will be at "aphelion", its farthest point from the Sun for the year, at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 6. The distance between Earth and Sun will be 152,099,000 kilometers (94,530,000 miles). This will be five million kilometers (3.1 million miles) farther than at "perihelion" on January 3. Recalling the words of guest writer Ray Sterner in the March 1998 issue of this column, we receive 7% less sunlight in July than in January! Not that anyone would likely take notice. Faced with the heat of Summer one can appreciate why astronomers come out at night. In the evening after sunset the brightest object in the sky located low in the west is the planet Venus. Venus is sitting in the outstretched paw of Leo the Lion resembling the image of a dragon with a pearl clutched tightly in it's claw as seen in classical oriental works of art. The pearly white Venus rolls past the lion's heart on the evening of July 13 when it passes approximately 1.5 degrees from the star Regulus, whose name in Latin means "prince". Although both star and planet are bright enough to be visible to the unaided eye a pair of binoculars will make finding Regulus a snap. Regulus will be to the upper right of Venus. If you have access to a telescope, pop in a low power eyepiece and see if both Venus and Regulus will fit into the same field of view. The crescent Moon joins Venus and Regulus in a pretty triangular grouping on the evening of July 15. The Moon is located on top and Venus will be at greatest brilliancy radiating at magnitude -4.5. Ruddy Mars is in the south-southwest with the star Spica located several degrees to its right. Mars is obviously red when viewed next to bluish Spica. Look now because the gap between the two will grow during the month. There are some local terrestrial events scheduled for this month. Mr. Scott Diegel of the Westminster Astronomical Society (WAS) will present planetarium programs in the Bear Branch Nature Center at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. on Friday, July 16. Weather permitting several telescopes should be available for celestial viewing after the show. For registration information call the nature center at 410-848-2517. For directions consult the planetarium web site at http://www.erols.com/roelle/was/bearbranch.html. The WAS-sponsored Astronomy Open House is from 10:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 31. Exhibits and telescopes will be on display in the large meeting room at the Main Branch of the Carroll County Library, 50 E. Main Street in Westminster.