What’s Up in the Sky
July’s Evening Planets:
Bright Venus will be up until 11 PM in Leo the Lion and setting earlier every night until 8 PM by the end of July. Find Mercury between Cancer the Crab and Leo the Lion until 9 PM in the second half of the month. Red Mars will be in Leo the Lion until 11 PM and setting earlier every night. Find Saturn in Aquarius the Water-bearer as of 11 PM and rising earlier every night until 9 by the end of the month. Uranus will be in Aries the Ram as of 2 AM and rising earlier every night. Neptune in Pisces the Fish as of midnight and rising earlier every night until 10 PM by the end of July. 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:
Bright Jupiter will be in Aries the Ram and Saturn in Aquarius the Water-bearer until sunrise. Uranus will be in Aries the Ram and Neptune in Pisces the Fish until sunrise.
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 3 Full Moon at 7:40 AM – Buck Supermoon
· July 4 Moon at perigee (223,800 miles away)
· July 6 Earth at Aphelion (94.5 million miles from Sun)
· July 7 Venus at its brightest (mag -4.7)
· July 9 Last quarter Moon at 9:50 PM
· July 17 New Moon at 2:30 PM
· July 19 Moon is 4° north of Mercury – predawn
· July 20 Moon at apogee (252,500 miles away)
· July 20 Moon is 3° north of Mars – midnight
· July 25 First quarter Moon at 6:10 PM
· July 30 Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower peaks
Times given in EDT.