Actual Astronomy - Objects to Observe in July

Ep. 342 is hosted by Chris Beckett & Shane Ludtke, two amateur astronomers in Saskatchewan. [email protected] Shane’s Observatory Construction has begun! The first step was for the builder to dig a hole for me to put all my money in…just kidding, that’s for the pier. We went down 40 inches and hit a boulder, good news since that’s as far as we planned to dig and it’ll make a solid footing. The soil was exceptionally dry despite the rain and should therefore keep water from collecting around the post.   M4 is a globular cluster in the constellation Scorpius, at magnitude 5.6 it is very bright but due to it glides low over the southern horizon from Canada.   M4 was discovered by Philippe Loys de Cheseaux in 1746, and included in Lacaille's catalogue. Charles Messier catalogued it in 1764, that's where it gets the "M'' designation and was the first to resolve it into a "cluster of very small faint stars." M4 was the only globular cluster Messier could resolve with his modest instruments, and thus the first globular cluster to be resolved.    We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].