What’s Up in the July Sky?
July’s Evening Planets:
Bright Venus will be up until around 10 PM moving between Cancer the Crab and Leo the Lion. Red Mars will be up until 10 PM, setting earlier every night between Cancer the Crab and Leo the Lion.
Find Jupiter in Aquarius the Water-bearer as of 11 PM, rising earlier every night until 9 by the end of the month. Saturn will be in Capricornus the Sea-goat as of 10 PM, rising earlier every night. Neptune is between Aquarius the Water-bearer and Pisces the Fish as of midnight, rising earlier every night. Dwarf Pluto will be in Sagittarius the Archer all night.
July’s Evening Stars:
Spot the Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle all night. See Spica in Virgo the Virgin, Antares in Scorpius the Scorpion, and Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman. Also find the stars of constellations Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Pegasus, Draco, Virgo, Sagittarius, Libra, Leo, Hercules, Ophiuchus, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).
July’s Morning Planets:
Mercury will be moving between Taurus the Bull and Gemini the Twins as of 5 AM until sunrise in the first half of the month. Jupiter will be in Aquarius the Water-bearer and Saturn will be in Capricornus the Sea-goat lingering until sunrise. Uranus will be in Cetus the Sea Monster and Neptune will be between Aquarius the Water bearer and Pisces the Fish until the morning. Dwarf Pluto will be in Sagittarius the Archer until dawn.
July’s Morning Stars:
Find the Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle. Look for Capella in Auriga the Charioteer, Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull, along with the stars of constellations Lyra, Hercules, Aquarius, Capricornus, Cetus, Aries, Pegasus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda, Perseus, Draco, Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).
July Skylights
July 1: Last quarter Moon at 5:10 PM
July 5: Earth at Aphelion (94.5 million miles from Sun)
July 5: Moon at apogee (251,900 miles away)
July 9: New Moon at 9:15 PM
July 13: Venus and Mars conjunction
July 21: Venus conjunction with Regulus
July 23: Full Moon at 10:35 PM
July 21: Moon at perigee (226,500 miles away)
July 29: Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower peaks
July 29: Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn line up – midnight
July 31: Last quarter Moon at 9:15 AM
Times given in EDT.
Resources
Download Ken Graun’s July 2021 sky chart for reference and observing ideas. Another equally helpful resource is Skymaps’ monthly evening sky chart, available for different hemispheres. Download The Evening Sky Map for July.
