Summer Stargazing in Panama

One of the joys of living at the beach is a clear night sky. With less, streetlamps, headlights and skyscrapers, there is a great opportunity for stargazing on the Pacific coast. On a clear night you will see more starts than you could ever imagine here. The sky is filled with constellations, each with its own legend behind it. Here are just a few of the constellations you can see in Panama throughout the summer months. To enjoy them, find yourself a spot away from any bright lights, give your eyes some time to adjust to the dark, and look up.

Virgo. This is the second-largest constellation in the sky. Her story is complicated, because she is associated with several different goddesses. In one story, she is the daughter of Icarius and kills herself when she finds her father dead. The gods took pity on them both and turned them into constellations.

Boötes. He shares one story with Virgo, in which he is Icarius. However, he's also known as the Herdsman or the Bear Hunter, and he follows the Great Bear and the Little Bear (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor) around the sky. Look for him well above the horizon toward the northeast -- he's made of 10 stars, including Arcturus, the fourth-brightest star in the sky.

Libra. Found between Scorpius and Virgo, Libra has long been associated with balance and justice -- ever since it was observed that the sun passes through it on the autumnal equinox, when day and night are the same length. To find it this month, locate Virgo and then glance toward the horizon.

Hydra. In legend, she was the second of the 12 Labors of Hercules -- a multi-headed snake-woman who proved very difficult to kill, since each time you chopped off one of her heads, two heads grew back in its place.

Leo. A lion with a hide like armor -- everyone was terrified, so they sent in Hercules (who else?) to kill it, which he did. Leo will be almost directly overhead this month, between Virgo, Hydra, and Cancer.

To find the constellations, you may have to do a little studying to familiarize yourself with the shape of each constellation and how to find it -- some are easier than others!

Take a look at pictures of each constellation on the Internet, or purchase a planisphere, an inexpensive chart designed by latitude, to see what constellations will be above you at any given time.

Nowadays you can also cheat with the Star Walk app on your smartphone.

Enjoy gazing!