Quantum Space Club, 10869 N Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ (2026)

07/20/2026

EYE IN THE SKY
MONDAY, JULY 20, 2026
Tonight the Moon has grown into a beautiful waxing crescent, about 37% illuminated, and is approaching First Quarter, which occurs tomorrow. This phase provides outstanding contrast along the Moon's terminator—the line dividing lunar day and night—making craters and mountain ranges especially dramatic through binoculars or a telescope.

After Sunset
Look to the western sky for brilliant Venus, still dominating the evening twilight.
The Moon has now moved eastward into Virgo and will appear near the bright blue-white star Spica, creating another attractive pairing for skywatchers.

Later Tonight
The Summer Triangle—Vega, Deneb, and Altair—rides high overhead. From darker skies west of Buckeye, the Milky Way stretches through this region, revealing countless stars, nebulae, and dark dust lanes.
Meteor Watch
The Perseid Meteor Shower continues to build. While the peak is still weeks away, patient observers may catch a few early meteors after midnight.
Saturn shines in the southeastern sky.
Mars rises before sunrise in the east.
Early risers will enjoy some of the steadiest atmospheric conditions for planetary viewing.

Quantum Space Fact of the Day
Exactly 57 years ago today—July 20, 1969—Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon. Remarkably, the Moon's phase on July 20, 2026 closely matches the lunar phase from that historic day, giving us a chance to see the Moon under nearly the same lighting conditions experienced during humanity's first lunar landing.

Tonight's Photography Challenge:
Capture the waxing crescent Moon with Earthshine just after sunset, then return after full darkness for a wide-angle image of the Summer Triangle and the Milky Way.

07/20/2026

Eye in the Sky

Sunday, July 19, 2026

Today's Deep-Sky Challenge: NGC 6563 – The Oval Planetary Nebula

Tonight, we're turning our telescopes toward the constellation Sagittarius, home to one of the sky's lesser-known treasures: NGC 6563, a beautiful planetary nebula created when a dying Sun-like star cast its outer layers into space thousands of years ago. Through a medium or large telescope under dark skies, its soft oval shape becomes visible as a glowing shell of gas surrounding the fading stellar core.

What to Look For Tonight

Venus shines brightly in the western sky shortly after sunset.

Saturn rises around midnight and is beautifully placed for late-night observing.

Mars, Uranus, and Neptune are all morning objects before dawn, giving early risers a rewarding planetary lineup.

Quantum Space Fact of the Day

Every planetary nebula is a reminder that stars don't simply disappear—they recycle their material back into the galaxy. The carbon in your body, the oxygen you breathe, and the calcium in your bones were all forged inside ancient stars long before our Sun was born.

We are, quite literally, made of stardust.

Look Up Tonight

Find Sagittarius low in the southern sky after darkness falls. Even if NGC 6563 is too faint for your telescope, you're looking toward the heart of the Milky Way, one of the richest regions of our galaxy, filled with star clusters, glowing nebulae, and countless suns.

Until tomorrow...

The universe reminds us that even a dying star can create something breathtakingly beautiful. Keep looking up—there is always another wonder waiting just beyond the next sunset.

07/16/2026

QUANTUM SPACE CLUB – EYE IN THE SKY

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Tonight is shaping up to be an excellent night for observing, especially if you're in Arizona.

Moon Phase The Moon is a very thin waxing crescent, only a couple of days past new. That means it will set early, leaving dark skies for deep-sky observing—a perfect opportunity to photograph the Milky Way.

Milky Way Spotlight This is one of the best times of the year to see the bright core of the Milky Way. After full darkness, look toward the south, where Sagittarius and Scorpius mark the direction of our galaxy's brilliant center.

Planet Watch

Venus shines brilliantly low in the western sky shortly after sunset.

Saturn rises late and is a spectacular telescope target, with its rings appearing unusually thin from Earth's perspective this year.

Quantum Space Fact of the Day The glowing band of the Milky Way you'll see tonight isn't just a collection of stars—it's the view toward the center of our galaxy, home to hundreds of billions of stars and the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. Every photograph you capture in that direction is looking roughly 26,000 light-years toward the heart of the Milky Way.

Best Viewing Time 10:00 PM–2:00 AM for the darkest skies and the highest view of the Milky Way core.

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07/06/2026

QUANTUM SPACE CLUB – EYE IN THE SKY

July 6, 2026

Tonight is shaping up to be an excellent night for summer stargazing. With the Moon continuing to wane toward its Last Quarter, the sky grows darker each evening, revealing more of the Milky Way. This week offers some of the best opportunities so far this month to enjoy our home galaxy from a dark location.

What to Look For:

The Milky Way will stretch across the southeastern sky after full darkness. If you're away from city lights around Buckeye, the bright core of our galaxy should be spectacular.

Venus shines brilliantly in the western sky after sunset, making it the easiest "star" to spot this evening.

Mars rises before dawn in the east, with an increasingly interesting week ahead as it approaches the beautiful Pleiades star cluster.

Quantum Space Fact of the Day

Did you know that today, July 6, Earth reaches aphelion—the point in its orbit where it is farthest from the Sun? Even though we're about 3 million miles farther away than at our closest approach in January, the Northern Hemisphere is enjoying summer because the seasons are caused by Earth's axial tilt, not our distance from the Sun.

Clear skies, and keep looking up!

Shannon Ritch
Julie Mendez
Rhonda Costa
Buckeye Gazette

07/05/2026

Quantum Space Club – Eye in the Sky

Sunday, July 5, 2026

Today's Featured Target: Antares & the Great Globular Cluster M4

Tonight, look toward the southern sky after darkness falls to find brilliant Antares, the fiery red heart of the constellation Scorpius. Just a little to the west of Antares lies Messier 4 (M4), one of the closest globular star clusters to Earth and a spectacular target through binoculars or a telescope. Antares Messier 4 .For astrophotographers, M4 is an excellent summer object. It contains hundreds of thousands of ancient stars, many over 12 billion years old, making it one of the oldest stellar populations you can observe from your own backyard.

Also this evening:

Venus remains the brilliant "Evening Star" low in the western sky after sunset.

The Milky Way arches overhead later in the evening, with its bright core climbing higher as the night progresses—a perfect opportunity to plan your next dark-sky imaging session.

Quantum Thought of the Day

When you observe M4 tonight, you're looking at a swarm of stars that formed billions of years before our Sun—and whose light has traveled roughly 7,200 years to reach your eyes. Every clear night is a chance to look back through cosmic history.

Shannon Ritch
Julie Mendez
Rhonda Costa
Buckeye Gazette

07/04/2026

QUANTUM SPACE CLUB – EYE IN THE SKY REPORT

July 4, 2026

Happy 250th Birthday, America!

As our nation celebrates 250 years of independence, the night sky offers a remarkable connection between history and the cosmos.

Tonight, look toward the western sky after sunset to find Spica, the brilliant blue-white star in the constellation Virgo. Spica is located approximately 250 light-years from Earth, making it a fitting celestial companion for America's 250th birthday.

The light reaching your eyes from Spica tonight began its journey around 1776—the very year the Declaration of Independence was signed. Every photon has traveled through space for 250 years before arriving here on Earth today.

Distance Is Time

Astronomy allows us to look back through time. The farther away an object is, the older the light we receive.

If there were astronomers on a planet orbiting Spica with an incredibly powerful telescope, they would just now be receiving the light that left Earth in 1776. In principle, they would be witnessing America at the very beginning of its journey as a nation.

Tonight's Sky

While enjoying Independence Day fireworks, take a moment to look beyond them. The Summer Triangle is rising in the east, and the Milky Way stretches across the southern sky later in the evening, reminding us that our home is just one small part of an unimaginably vast universe.

Quantum Space Fact

The same starlight reaching your eyes tonight has been traveling across space for approximately 250 years—the entire lifetime of the United States. It is a beautiful reminder that every time we look into the universe, we are also looking into history.

Happy 250th Birthday, America.

Keep Looking Up. Keep Exploring.

Shannon Ritch
Rhonda Costa
Julie Mendez
Buckeye Gazette

07/03/2026

Eye in the Sky — Friday, July 3, 2026

Tonight is another excellent evening to step outside and look up from Buckeye, Arizona!

The Moon is a waning gibbous, rising later in the evening. The best window for deep-sky observing is during the first part of the night before moonlight begins to brighten the sky.

The Milky Way is now near its seasonal peak. After full darkness, the brilliant galactic core stands high in the southern sky, making this one of the best times of the year for Milky Way photography.

Look for the Summer Triangle:

Vega

Deneb

Altair

These three bright stars will dominate the eastern and southern sky and serve as your gateway to countless deep-sky objects.

Astrophotography Target of the Night

Try imaging the Eagle Nebula, home of the famous Pillars of Creation. It's climbing higher into the southern sky and is a fantastic target for the Dwarf telescope with longer integrations.

Quantum Space Club Fact of the Day

The light from the center of the Milky Way takes about 26,000 years to reach Earth. Every time you photograph our galaxy's bright core, you're capturing light that began its journey when humans were still creating the world's earliest civilizations.

Look up tonight... you're photographing ancient history.
Clear skys !

Rhonda Costa
Julie Mendez
Shannon Ritch
Buckeye Gazette

07/03/2026

Eye in the Sky — Thursday, July 2, 2026

Tonight offers a beautiful opportunity to enjoy the summer sky!

The Moon is a waning gibbous, rising later in the evening. If you're planning deep-sky photography, the darkest skies will be after the Moon has climbed higher and later toward the pre-dawn hours.

The Milky Way is now putting on one of its best shows of the year. From Buckeye, the bright core stretches across the southern sky after full darkness, making this an excellent night for wide-field astrophotography.

Look south for the familiar Summer Triangle—made up of the bright stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair. This giant triangle serves as a guide to many of the season's best deep-sky treasures.

Astrophotography Target of the Night: The Lagoon Nebula and Trifid Nebula are both well placed this evening. If you're using your Dwarf telescope, these colorful nebulae make excellent summer targets.

Quantum Space Club Thought of the Day: "Every clear night is a reminder that we're standing on a tiny world beneath a galaxy filled with billions of suns. Look up—you are seeing history written in light."

Shannon Ritch
Rhonda Costa
Buckeye Gazette

07/01/2026

Quantum Space Club – July 2026 Newsletter

Summer Under the Stars

July is one of the most exciting months of the year for astronomy. With the Milky Way blazing overhead, planets returning to our skies, and a meteor shower to close out the month, there's never been a better time to step outside and look up.

Quantum Space Club Milky Way Meetup
Join us for a special evening under Arizona's dark skies as we photograph and observe the magnificent Milky Way.
Whether you're an experienced astrophotographer or just beginning your astronomy journey, everyone is welcome. Bring your camera, telescope, binoculars, or simply a comfortable chair and enjoy a night of exploring the universe with fellow space enthusiasts.
📍 Location: To Be Announced
📅 Date: To Be Announced

Southern Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower Watch
We'll gather again later this month for the Southern Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower, which reaches its peak on July 29–30. Under dark skies, observers can expect up to 20–25 meteors per hour, with occasional bright fireballs lighting up the night.
📍 Location: To Be Announced
📅 Peak Viewing: July 29–30, 2026
The best viewing will be after midnight through the hours before sunrise.

What's in the July Night Sky?

The Milky Way
The bright core of our galaxy dominates the southern sky after dark, making July one of the best months of the year for Milky Way photography and deep-sky observing.

Planets to Watch
Mars glows low in the western sky after sunset.
Saturn rises late in the evening and is beautifully placed for telescope viewing before dawn.
Venus shines brilliantly as the Morning Star.
Jupiter begins returning to the morning sky later this month.

Moon Phases
First Quarter: July 22
Full Buck Moon: July 29
The darkest skies for deep-sky observing occur during the first half of the month before the Moon becomes bright.

Deep-Sky Highlights
Be sure to look for:
Lagoon Nebula (M8)
Trifid Nebula (M20)
Eagle Nebula (M16) – home of the famous Pillars of Creation
Omega Nebula (M17)
Albireo, one of the sky's most beautiful double stars
The Summer Triangle made up of Vega, Deneb, and Altair
The rich star fields surrounding the constellation Scorpius.

Whether you're observing with your eyes, binoculars, a telescope, or an astrophotography setup, July's skies are filled with incredible celestial treasures waiting to be discovered.

Clear Skies!
Be sure to follow Quantum Space Club for final event locations, weather updates, equipment tips, and more exciting astronomy events throughout the summer.
Clear skies, and we'll see you under the stars!

Shannon Ritch
Rhonda Costa
Buckeye Gazette

06/30/2026

Eye in the Sky | June 30, 2026

Tonight, step outside just after sunset and look toward the western horizon for a beautiful celestial pairing. A delicate waxing crescent Moon hangs near brilliant Venus, the dazzling "Evening Star." Higher in the sky, the orange giant Arcturus shines brightly, adding a warm glow to the first nights of summer.

If you enjoy astrophotography, this is a wonderful opportunity to capture the Moon and Venus together in the same frame. Even a smartphone on night mode or a small telescope can produce stunning results.

Every clear night reminds us that the universe is always changing—and there's always something incredible waiting just overhead.

Look up. Wonder. Explore.

Rhonda Costa
Shannon Ritch
Buckeye Gazette

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