Introduction
June turned out to be another great month for astronomy, especially during the week, but not so much on the weekends. Of course, the cloudy skies interfered with my stargazing plans multiple times, which I've just learned to expect. Aside from that, I still enjoyed looking at the night and daytime sky. On the 17th, the day the Moon occulted Venus, I could clearly and easily see Venus during the daytime. I would have loved to use my smart telescope to capture the event, but alas, I was stuck at work during the occultation. I did, however, have many coworkers look up to see this amazing event. It's the first and only time I have seen Venus during the daytime, except during a total solar eclipse. Aside from this remarkable event, I did enjoy watching the Venus-Jupiter conjunction and the summer constellations.
July should offer clear skies and many more chances to stargaze and use my gear to enjoy the night sky. Observers will have the chance to see a planetary conjunction, a meteor shower, many DSOs, and stellar views of the Milky Way's core. If given the chance, observers should head to a dark sky site around the New Moon phase to gaze up at the wonders of our universe.
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| Mercury |
Mercury is sinking closer to the Sun and dips below the western horizon shortly after its host star at the beginning of July. This tiny world will become lost from view before mid-month as it reaches inferior conjunction with the Sun on the 12th. By the 17th, observers should be able to spot Mercury rising shortly before sunrise in the morning sky. The best time to view Mercury will come during the final days of July as it climbs higher in the sky, rising earlier than the Sun, as it approaches its greatest western elongation during the early part of August. A clear view of the eastern horizon will greatly improve the chances of spotting Mercury.
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| Venus |
Venus was easy to spot during June and will remain so throughout July. An observer will just have to look west after sunset to spot brilliant Venus high above the horizon. This bright world will be fun to watch throughout July. Since it's easy to locate every night, observers should watch as it moves closer to the bright star, Regulus in Leo. The pair will be closest on the 9th with only 1° of separation. On the 16th, a thin Crescent Moon will join the pair, being close to Regulus on this date and closer to Venus the following evening. Our sister planet will transition from Leo the Lion into Virgo during July. Venus has been a great early-evening target throughout the year and will remain so for another month or so.
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| Mars |
Mars crossed into Taurus during June and will continue to be in this region of the sky throughout July. During the opening of the month, Mars can be found relatively close to the Pleiades, creating quite a photo opportunity. The pair won't be this close again until 2034. On the 4th, Mars and Uranus will be just one tenth of a degree apart. A telescope will offer great views of this pair of planets. A week later, on the 11th, the Moon will pass close by this pair. Mars will continue its march across Taurus and can be found just 5° from Aldebaran, the Red Eye of the Bull, on the 14th. By the end of July, observers may also see Betelgeuse, the shoulder of Orion, rising to join Mars and Aldebaran in the morning sky.
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| Jupiter |
As July begins, Saturn will rise around 2:00 AM. By the end of July, the Ringed World will rise about two hours earlier. The Moon can be found passing close by on the 7th. Saturn is comfortable with the stars of Pisces and can be found floating among them during the entire month. A small telescope will reveal Saturn's ring structure and large moons, while a larger telescope will do the same and offer more detail due to its greater light-gathering power.
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| Neptune |
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| Uranus |
Uranus can be found among the stars of Taurus during July. Uranus and Mars will experience a planetary conjunction on the 4th, with the pair less than a tenth of a degree apart. These two planets can be found directly below the Pleiades on this date. As July continues, Mars moves further away from Uranus and the Pleiades while Uranus appears to stay in place. Uranus does travel against the background stars, but at a much slower rate than Mars, due to its vast distance from the Sun. Near the 24th of July, Uranus can be found forming a line with the Pleaides and Aldebaran, with Uranus nearly in the center of the two. The Moon will pass close by on the 11th. Uranus can be seen by the unaided eye if an observer knows where to look, but this planet will appear as just another star due to its great distance from us. A telescope or a pair of binoculars will reveal its blue-green disk.
Neptune is the most difficult planet to find due to its great distance and the need for optical aid. As in the previous months, Neptune can be found residing among the stars of Pisces, just like Saturn. Perhaps the best time to find Neptune will come around the 6th and 7th of July, when the Earth's Moon can be found nearby. Observers may also use the fact that all of the planets appear to follow the same line in the sky, known as the ecliptic, to locate this distant world. After an observer locates Saturn, they can follow the ecliptic towards the west about 5° to find Neptune.
Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower
A major meteor shower will finally return during July. The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower will peak on the 30th with an hourly rate of up to 20 meteors per hour on a Moon-free night at a dark sky location. Unfortunately, this year, there will be a Full Moon in the sky, obscuring all but the brightest meteors. However, observers should still try to watch this shower during the week before or after the peak date. The highly anticipated Perseid Meteor Shower, which peaks in August, will begin to produce meteors in the sky.
Comet Tempel 2 remains a great target for binoculars, telescopes, and astrophotographers in July. It can be found in the predawn sky above the southwest horizon and is expected to brighten throughout the month. Unfortunately, it is not expected to reach unaided eye visibility. Since its location changes nightly, I recommend using a favorite astronomy app, like Stellarium or SkySafari, to find Tempel 2 in the sky.
Monthly Breakdown
July 04: Mars and Uranus conjunction
July 06: Moon passes within 5° of Neptune
July 07: Moon passes within 7° of Saturn
July 07: Last Quarter Moon🌗
July 09: Venus and Regulus conjunctionJuly 11: Moon passes within 5° of Uranus
July 11: Moon passes within 5° of Mars
July 12: Mercury reaches inferior conjunction
July 14: Mars and Aldebaran within 5°
July 14: New Moon 🌑
July 17: Moon passes within 2° of Venus
July 21: First Quarter Moon 🌓
July 29: Jupiter reaches solar conjunction
July 30: Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower peaks
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| Now get outside and look up! |
Planet images were taken by NASA.
Andrew vs. the Cosmos image was taken by Jeff Greenland.The Milky Way and Trees image was taken by Andrew Greenland.
Orion, Taurus, and Pleiades image was taken by Andrew Greenland.
