Mars shines within the night, and is joined briefly by Mercury. Jupiter joins Venus because the month goes on. And all month, search for Aquila the eagle.
All Month – Planet Visibility:
- Venus: Shines brightly within the east every morning throughout the couple of hours earlier than dawn, with the Pleiades and shiny stars Aldebaran and Capella.
- Mars: Sits within the west, about 20 levels above the horizon as twilight fades. Units a few hours after darkish.
- Jupiter: Begins to change into seen low within the east within the hour earlier than dawn after mid-month. You may discover it rises a bit larger every day by August, rapidly approaching nearer to Venus every morning.
- Mercury: Seen very low within the west (10 levels or decrease) the primary week or so in July. Discover it for a short while earlier than it units, starting 30-45 minutes after sundown.
- Saturn: Rises round midnight and climbs to some extent excessive within the south as daybreak approaches.
Each day Highlights:
July 1 – 7 – Mercury is comparatively shiny and simple to identify with no telescope, starting about 30-45 minutes after sundown for the primary week or so of July. You have to an unobstructed view towards the horizon, and observe that it units inside an hour after the Solar.
July 21 & 22 – Moon, Venus, & Jupiter – Look towards the east this morning to discover a pretty scene, with the crescent Moon and Venus, plus a number of shiny stars. And when you’ve got a transparent view towards the horizon, Jupiter is there too, low within the sky.
July 28 – Moon & Mars – The crescent Moon seems proper subsequent to Mars this night after sundown.
All month – Constellation: Aquila – The Eagle constellation, Aquila, seems within the jap a part of the sky throughout the first half of the night time. Its brightest star, Altair, is the southernmost star within the Summer season Triangle, which is an easy-to-locate star sample in Northern Hemisphere summer time skies.
What’s Up for July? Mars shines within the night sky, sixty years after its first close-up,
July Planet Viewing
Venus brightens your mornings, and the eagle soars overhead.
First up, Mercury is seen for a short time following sundown for the primary week of July. Search for it very low within the west 30 to 45 minutes after sunset. It units inside the hour after that, so be on the ball if you wish to catch it!
Mars is seen for the primary hour or two after it will get darkish. You may discover it sinking decrease within the sky every day and searching a bit dimmer over the course of the month, as our two planets’ orbits carry them farther aside. The crescent Moon seems proper subsequent to Mars on the twenty eighth.
July is the sixtieth anniversary of the primary profitable flyby of Mars, by NASA’s Mariner 4 spacecraft in 1965. Mariner 4 despatched again the primary pictures of one other planet from deep area, together with the invention that the Pink Planet has solely a really skinny, chilly environment.
Subsequent, Saturn is rising late within the night, and by daybreak it is excessive overhead to the south.
Trying to the morning sky, Venus shines brightly all month. You may discover it within the east throughout the couple of hours earlier than dawn, with the Pleiades and shiny stars Aldebaran and Capella. And because the month goes on, Jupiter makes its morning sky debut,
rising within the hour earlier than dawn and showing a little bit larger every day.
By the top of the month, early risers could have the 2 brightest planets there greeting them every morning. They’re headed for a super-close meetup in mid-August, and the pair will likely be a fixture of the a.m. sky by late this 12 months. Search for them along with the crescent moon on the twenty first and twenty second.
Aquila, The Eagle
From July and into August, is a good time to watch the constellation Aquila, the eagle.
This time of 12 months, it soars excessive into the sky within the first half of the night time. Aquila represents the legendary eagle that was a strong servant and messenger of the Greek god Zeus. The eagle carried his lightning bolts and was an emblem of his energy as king of the gods.
To seek out Aquila within the sky, begin by finding its brightest star, Altair. It’s one the three shiny stars within the Summer season Triangle, which is tremendous straightforward to pick throughout summer time months within the Northern Hemisphere. Altair is the second brightest of the three, and sits on the southernmost nook of the triangle.
The opposite stars in Aquila aren’t as shiny as Altair, which may make observing the constellation difficult for those who stay in an space with numerous gentle air pollution. It’s simpler, although, if you know the way the eagle is oriented on the sky. Think about it’s flying towards the north with its wings unfold large, its proper wing pointed towards Vega. If you’ll find Altair, and Aquila’s subsequent brightest star, you’ll be able to often hint out the remainder of the spread-eagle form from there. The second half of July is the perfect time of the month to watch Aquila, because the Moon would not rise till later then, making it simpler to pick the constellation’s fainter stars.
Observing the constellation Aquila makes for a worthy problem within the July night time sky. And when you’re accustomed to its form, it is onerous to not see the legendary eagle hovering overhead among the many summertime stars.
Listed here are the phases of the Moon for July.
You possibly can keep updated on all of NASA’s missions exploring the photo voltaic system and past at science.nasa.gov. I am Preston Dyches from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that is What’s Up for this month.