Once again, it's time for your monthly night sky report! July will again have nice warm nights so that staying out late and enjoying the night sky will be more pleasant. Like June, in my opinion there won't be anything too exciting happening this month, unless an undiscovered comet or asteroid comes perilously close to Earth!
A few of the highlights this month are:
Venus and Mercury will once again be visible.
Dwarf planet Pluto will also be visible but you will need a midsize or larger telescope to see it.
Towards the end of the month, all seven planets (eight if you want to look down at Earth) as well as dwarf planet Pluto will be visible during the night. Shortly after sunset, look to the west to catch a glimpse of Venus and Mercury before they fall below the horizon. Jupiter starts the month high in the western sky but towards the end, will only be visible for a short time before falling below the horizon. Mars and Saturn will be high in the sky after sunset with Neptune and Uranus rising in the east about an hour to two hours, respectfully, after sunset. Neptune will appear blue-gray while Uranus will be blue-green. You will need at least a pair of binoculars to see these two planets.
July 4: New Moon
July 7: Pluto is at opposition. The nights leading up to, and about a week after this date Pluto will appear slightly brighter. Pluto's opposition doesn't change much because it's so far away so it will appear to move slowly. To see Pluto, you will need a 6 inch or larger telescope and you may need to view Pluto over a few nights to actually see it. You will want to watch for a point of light that has changed position over a few nights.
July 19: Full Moon
July 29: Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor shower peaks on this night. You should be able to see approximately 16 meteors per hour. The best time to look is after midnight until about 4 in the morning.
Now get outside and look at the stars!
No comments:
Post a Comment