Oracle Night Sky Charm

Milky Way, Oracle State Park, 28 June 2025. Photo by Mike Weasner.

Welcome to the 8th edition of “Oracle Night Sky Charm”. These monthly articles will help you enjoy Oracle’s Night Sky. You will also learn why it is important to protect our Night Sky Heritage.

The Milky Way

During September the “Milky Way” continues to be a lovely sight in Oracle’s dark sky. Be certain you take some time from your busy life to connect to our Universe and enjoy the view on a moonless night. To learn more about the Milky Way, see last month’s Oracle Night Sky Charm article.

Visible Planets

Last month’s article mentioned that the bright planets Jupiter and Venus would appear as a “double planet” less than 1º apart (about 2 Full Moons) low in the eastern sky on 12 August at about 4 AM. If you did not this beautiful conjunction, the photo below shows Jupiter and Venus at the bottom left. Venus is the brighter object, with Jupiter just to the left of Venus. This month Venus is moving lower in the morning sky and so will be seen further away from Jupiter.

Looking east at 4 AM on 12 August 2025. Photo by Mike Weasner.

Our Moon

Enjoying our dark sky will improve your life and your health. Just ask anyone who spends a lot of time under the night sky. However, don’t forget to look at our Moon. Using binoculars or a small telescope will let you see details (mountains, craters, plains) on the Moon’s surface. But just watching the changing phase (illumination by our Sun) of the Moon each night as the Moon revolves around our planet is another way to “experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to... The Outer Limits.” (From the 1960s TV series.)

Of course, when the Moon is bright you will notice that you cannot see a lot of stars that would otherwise be visible. It makes Oracle’s sky look like the night sky as always seen in light polluted cities (like Phoenix) even when there is no Moon in the sky. Just another reason to appreciate living in Oracle. It makes you want to protect our Night Sky Charm by using proper outdoor lighting that illuminates only the ground and not the sky or your neighbor’s property. Proper lighting makes you safer and healthier, enhances security, reduces energy costs and impacts on climate, and preserves the natural nocturnal environment to protect all life on our home Planet Earth. To learn more about proper lighting see the DarkSky International website.

If there is something you would like discussed in “Oracle Night Sky Charm”, email Mike Weasner at mweasner@mac.com. Mike has been a volunteer at Oracle State Park since 2014 and is a past Vice President and past President of Friends of Oracle State Park.