July is here and so are the rising temperatures. I thought June was hot enough in the mid-80's and even the low 90's. I'm really not looking forward to the heat that is typical for July in Utah. I am looking forward to the hopefully clear skies however. Saturn will reach opposition this month, which is something else I have been looking forward to. We will also be able to watch a decent meteor shower this month that will peak under a moon-free sky. July this year also marks the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing mission.
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| Mercury |
Mercury will be found in our evening sky during the early part of July. Mars will be found close by while these planets are visible this month. The moon will join the pair on the 3rd, hopefully making it easier to spot these two planets. Around the 10th this month, these two planets will move too close to the Sun and be lost in the bright evening glow. Be sure to catch a glimpse of Mercury before it's gone!
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| Venus |
Venus will also disappear from view this month. Your best chance of viewing our sister planet will be on the morning of July 1st when it will lie about 5° above the eastern horizon before the Sun's brilliance overcomes it. Venus will return in August.
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| Mars |
Mars will follow in the footsteps of Mercury and Venus and be lost from view in July. Mars can be found in the western sky after sunset close to Mercury. As mentioned, the Moon will join Mercury and Mars on the 3rd, possibly aiding in finding these two planets.
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| Jupiter |
While we will lose 3 planets from view early this month, Jupiter recently reached opposition last month and will be visible throughout most of the night. Jupiter can be found on the right side border of the Milky Way from our vantage point. Be sure to use a pair of binoculars so you can spot the 4 Galilean moons. If you own a telescope, use this instrument to see the cloud bands and maybe even catch a glimpse of the Great Red Spot and the shadow of one of the moons as it transits the surface of the planet.
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| Saturn |
Saturn will reach opposition on July 9th, rising in the east as the Sun sets in the west. This will be a great time to view this planet through a telescope. You will surely see the rings but may even be able to detect the cloud bands of Saturn. Saturn will be found on the left side of the Milky Way band, causing our closest gas giants to Earth to sandwich the glow. If you haven't seen Saturn through a telescope with your own eyes, be sure to arrange an opportunity to do so. I find it to be very inspiring!
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| Uranus |
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| Neptune |
The outer two planets can be best viewed through a telescope but can still be seen through a pair of binoculars. Uranus will rise around 3 in the morning Mountain Time at the beginning of the month and nearly two hours earlier by the final day. You can use Saturn and Jupiter to form a line towards the east to help find this dim planet.
Neptune will rise before Uranus at around 1 in the morning m\Mountain Time and a full two hours earlier by month's end. Views through a telescope will show the blue-gray disk of this most distant planet.
Meteor Shower
This months meteor shower, the Southern Delta Aquariids, will peak under a moon free sky this year. This shower offers up to 25 meteors per hour if you are in the right location. The further south you are, the more meteors you will be able to see since the constellation of Aquarius never passes directly over for people in the northern hemisphere. The best time to watch is between 3 and 4 in the morning when Aquarius reaches its highest point in Utah skies. Around this time in the morning, Aquarius can be found in the south about 35° high in the sky. The Aquariids is one of the longest running showers of the year starting in mid-July and lasting all the way through the 23rd of August with the peak date falling on July 30th.
Spot Me....🕵️
So far, I've had you try and spot M44 - Beehive Cluster, M13 - Hercules Cluster, M19 - Globular Cluster, and the Galilean moons of Jupiter as well as some surface details of this giant planet. I hope that you have been able to view at least one of these awesome sights. If not, please try to do so!
This month, I would like you to try to see the rings of Saturn. These can be viewed through any size of telescope and even a larger pair of binoculars. If you do not have a telescope, I would be happy to arrange for a star party to show you the rings of Saturn. I would also be happy to show you any other astronomy sights you are interested in seeing.
Four our second target this month, we will try to spot a comet. This comet is known as Comet 168P/Hergenrother. It passes through the inner solar system nearly every 7 years but rarely brightens above 12th magnitude. This means you will need a pair of binoculars or a telescope to spot this dirty snowball. Hergenrother can be found in the predawn sky between Pisces the Fish and Cetus the Whale during the first 2 weeks of July. The best times to view will be between 4 and 5 in the morning Mountain Time when this region is highest in the eastern sky. Use your binoculars to scan this region of sky. A comet will look almost like a cloud through binoculars, but should have a round shape. With any luck, this comet might brighten as it passes closer to the Sun, hopefully becoming an unaided eye comet!
As always, let me know what you see!
Monthly Breakdown
July 02: New Moon 🌑
July 04: Moon and Mercury pass within 3°
July 04: Moon and Mars pass within 0.1°
July 07: Mars and Mercury pass within 4°
July 09: First Quarter Moon 🌓
July 09: Saturn at opposition
July 13: Moon and Jupiter pass within 2°
July 16: Full Moon 🌕
July 16: Moon and Saturn pass within 1°
July 20: 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
July 21: Moon and Neptune pass within 4°
July 24: Last Quarter Moon 🌗
July 25: Moon and Uranus pass within 5°
July 30: Southern Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower Peaks
July 31: New Moon 🌑
Think About This....💡
This month brings about the 50th anniversary of the historical event of the first man on the Moon. Many failures and even a few casualties took place before the successful landing. The training program for the astronauts was also quite intense, ensuring that the candidates were in top shape of both body and mind.
The spacecraft, unlike the space shuttle that most of us are familiar with, worked in three stages. The first stage consisted of 5 enormous engines, that are still the largest and most dependable engines ever built. After reaching an altitude of 38 miles above the surface of the Earth, the first stage fell away from the second and third stages and burned up in the atmosphere as it fell back to Earth.
The second stage also consisted of 5 engines which were smaller than the 5 on the first stage. These engines pushed the astronauts to an altitude of 115 miles above the surface of the Earth before being jettisoned. This second stage also burned up in the atmosphere as it fell back to Earth.
The third stage is then used to propel the astronauts to the Moon. The third stage is then discarded before the lunar and command modules reach the orbit of the Moon. Once orbit is achieved, the lunar module detaches from the command module and descends down to the surface of the Moon. The first landing occurred on what is known as the Sea of Tranquility.
After spending a total of around 21 hours on the surface of the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin returned to the command module with Michael Collins orbiting the Moon. When all 3 astronauts were safely onboard the command module, the lunar module was then discarded before making a final burn to return to Earth. The astronauts spent a total of 8 days in space before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24th, 1969.
Stay tuned for more exciting news and events!
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| Now get outside and look up! |
Planet images taken by NASA.
Andrew vs. the Cosmos taken by Jeff Greenland.
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