view counter  Standing up to the moon   The gibbous moon waxes
through southern skies this week, becoming full on the 25th.
July’s full moon is known as the Hay Moon or the Thunder Moon.
Rising at dusk and setting at dawn, the full moon dominates the
sky this week, blotting out all but the brightest planets and
stars.  As the sun sets in the northwest before 8:25 this week,
the first light to appear is the evening star Venus, 20 degrees
above the western horizon. As dusk gives way to darkness, Venus
is joined by ruddy Mars and golden Saturn to the left. This week
Venus races westward night by night, leading up to a three-
planet conjunction next week.  To the right of Venus, hugging
the western horizon at nightfall, is bluish Regulus, the
brightest star in the constellation Leo. Closer still to the
horizon is our solar system’s innermost planet, Mercury, shining
twice as bright as Regulus. At magnitude –0.2, Mercury is
outshined by only Venus, Jupiter and Canis Major. Yet because
this elusive planet never stra