To use this star map that shows July skies at about 10 p.m., cut it out and attach it to a stiff backing. Hold it over your head and line up the compass points on the map's horizon to the actual direction you're facing.

You need to get your rest if you want to seriously stargaze this time of year around Shamokin.

It's not truly dark enough until after 11 p.m., but a summer night under the stars is well worth missing a few winks, especially if you're out away from city lights, maybe out camping somewhere. But even if you're not vacationing, you usually don't have to drive out all that far to from urban light pollution.

Cut out the attached star map and take it with you and also have snacks and prepare to make stars your old friends.

Having friends and family along also is wonderful, but stargazing can be a wonderful soulful solitary experience, one that'll stay with you.

Unfortunately, along with the stars, the mosquitoes want to be your friends, too, so make sure you bring the bug juice. It's the summer stargazer's best friend!

Over in the low western sky, look for the constellation Leo the Lion, a constellation that resembles a giant backward question mark leaning over to the right. The star at the bottom of the celestial query mark is Regulus, the brightest star in Leo. Regulus marks the heart of the lion, and the rest of the question mark outlines the beastly lion's head.

Another bright shiner in the western half of the sky is Arcturus, the brightest star of the summer sky. At twilight's end, it's perched high in the western sky at the tail of giant kite. That kite is more formally known as the constellation Bootes, the hunting farmer. How the kite is supposed to be a hunting farmer is anyone's guess.

Arcturus is a giant star, more than 22 million miles in diameter and more than 36 light-years distant, with one light-year equivalent to about 6 trillion miles. In the eastern heavens, you'll see the prime stars of summer on the rise. As we move through July, they'll be a little higher at the start of each night as the Earth in its solar orbit passes in their direction.

The best way for finding your way around the summer stars is to locate the "Summer Triangle" made up of a three bright stars, the brightest in each of their respective constellations. You can't miss them. They're the brightest stars in the east right now.

The highest and brightest star is Vega, the bright star in a small faint constellation called Lyra the Harp.

The second brightest star on the lower right is Altair, the brightest in Aquila the Eagle. Altair is on corner of a diamond that outlines the wingspan of the great bird.

The third brightest at the left corner of the summer triangle is Deneb, a star possibly more than 1,800 light-years away. It's also the bright star at the tail of Cygnus the Swan. Cygnus also is known as the "Northern Cross" because that's what it really looks like.

Deneb is at the head of the Northern Cross that is presently laying on its side as it rises in the east.

In the Northern sky, look for the Big Dipper hanging from its handle in the northwest, along with the fainter Little Dipper standing on its handle.

The moderately bright star, Polaris, otherwise known as the North Star, is at the end of the Little Dipper's handle. Every single thing in the sky, including the sun and moon, revolve around Polaris every 24 hours. In the low southern sky, there is a bright, brick-red star called Antares that marks the heart of Scorpio the Scorpion, one of those few constellations that actually resembles what it is supposed to be.

The brightest star you'll see in July is slowly on the rise in the east after 11 p.m. It's actually the giant planet Jupiter, and it's now the only planet plainly visible in the evening sky.

Jupiter is nearing its closest point to the Earth next month. This month, it is just less than 400 million miles away, and even with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, you should be able see up to four of Jupiter's moons and some of the planet's brighter cloud bands, especially the ones around the equator of the giant 88,000-mile diameter planet. For a comparison, our Earth is only 8,000 miles wide.

Enjoy the fireworks and the short — but starry — nights in July!

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and is author of the book, "Pennsylvania Starwatch," available at bookstores and at his Web site www.lynchandthestars.com.