MONDAY, JULY 1 – CRESCENT MOON APPROACHES MARS (BEFORE DAWN)
On Monday morning, July 1 the pretty, waning crescent moon will commence its monthly trip past the pre-dawn planets. After the moon has risen well clear of the treetops in the east, the reddish dot of Mars will appear shining less than a palm’s width to its lower left (or about 5 degrees to its celestial east). That’s close enough for them to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). Skywatchers viewing the duo around sunrise, or in more westerly time zones, will see the moon closer to Mars and more vertically above it.
TUESDAY, JULY 2 – MOON ABOVE THE PLEIADES AND URANUS (BEFORE DAWN)
After 24 hours of travel, in the eastern sky on Tuesday morning, July 2, the now-thinner crescent of the waning moon will shine less than a binoculars’ field of view (orange circle) to the upper right of Messier 45, the bright little Pleiades star cluster. The faint, blue-green dot of magnitude 5.8 Uranus will be positioned several finger-widths to the moon’s lower right (or 3 degrees to its celestial south). Uranus is visible in binoculars. The slow-moving planet will remain near the Pleiades for the next several years. Keep an eye out for bright Jupiter shining below them all and Mars to their upper right.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 3 – MORNING MOON AND JUPITER (BEFORE DAWN)
Another 24 hours of orbital motion will carry the very slender moon several finger-widths to the upper left (or 4 degrees to the celestial north) of the bright planet Jupiter on Wednesday morning, July 3. Look for the pair climbing the eastern sky from around 4 a.m. local time until sunrise. Good binoculars (orange circle) might show Jupiter’s own four brightest moons. The conjunction will also make a nice photo opportunity.
THURSDAY, JULY 4 – CELEBRATE SATURN’S RETURN TO EVENING (OVERNIGHT)
We have an extra reason to celebrate July 4th! After a long drought, starting in the first week of July, a bright planet will be available to view before midnight for observers located at mid-northern latitudes. Due to Earth’s motion around the sun, the stars and distant planets rise about four minutes earlier each day — or about half an hour earlier with each passing week. The ringed planet Saturn will lead off our 2024 evening planet parade. The next planets to join Saturn in the evening will be Neptune in the first week of July and Uranus in mid-August. Mars and Jupiter will arrive in Autumn. Early risers can already view all of those planets before dawn.
THURSDAY, JULY 4 – EARTH PASSES APHELION
On Thursday, July 4 at 1:00 a.m. EDT or 05:00 GMT, Earth will reach aphelion, its greatest distance from the sun for this year. Aphelion’s 94.51 million miles (152.1 million km) distance is 1.67% farther from the sun than the mean Earth-sun separation of 92.96 million miles (149.6 million km), which is also defined to be one Astronomical Unit (1 A.U.). Seasonal temperature variations arise from the varying direction of Earth’s axial tilt, and not from our distance from the sun. Earth will reach its minimum distance from the sun, or perihelion, on January 4, 2024.
FRIDAY, JULY 5 – NEW MOON
On Friday, July 5 at 6:57 p.m. EDT or 3:57 p.m. PDT and 22:57 GMT, the moon will officially reach its new moon phase. At that time our natural satellite will be located in Gemini, 4.5 degrees north of the sun. While new, the moon is traveling in space between Earth and the sun. Since sunlight can only illuminate the far side of the moon, and the moon is in the same region of the sky as the sun, it becomes completely hidden from view from anywhere on Earth for about a day (unless there’s a solar eclipse). After the new moon phase, Earth’s celestial night light will return to shine as a crescent in the western evening sky.
FRIDAY, JULY 5 – CERES AT OPPOSITION (ALL NIGHT)
On Friday evening, July 5, the dwarf planet Ceres will reach opposition, its closest approach to Earth for the year — a distance of 175.4 million miles or 282.2 million km or 15.7 light-minutes. On the nights around opposition, this largest resident of the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter will shine with a peak visual magnitude of 7.4, which is within reach of binoculars (orange circle) and backyard telescopes. Tonight Ceres will be located in Sagittarius’ Teapot asterism, about one-quarter of the way from the bright star Ascella to Tau Sagittarii. Ceres will ascend the southeastern sky after dusk, and then reach its highest elevation, and peak visibility, when due south around 1 a.m. local time. It will spend the rest of July traveling west through the Teapot (red path).
SATURDAY, JULY 6 – MERCURY INVADES THE BEEHIVE (AFTER SUNSET)
For a short period after dusk on Saturday, July 6, skywatchers can use binoculars (orange circle) and backyard telescopes to look for the prominent dot of Mercury shining amidst the scattered stars of Messier 44, also known as the Beehive Star Cluster. The cluster, which covers an area of sky double the moon’s is often visited by the moon and planets because of its location only 1.3 degrees north of the ecliptic. Speedy Mercury will appear just to the lower right (or celestial west of) the cluster on Friday and then to its upper left on Sunday. Observers located near the tropics, where the ecliptic stands upright after sunset, will see Mercury’s crossing more easily.
SUNDAY, JULY 7 – SLIM MOON ABOVE MERCURY (AFTER SUNSET)
As the sky is darkening after sunset on Sunday, July 7, the very pretty waxing crescent moon will pose low in the west-northwestern sky with the dot of Mercury positioned a generous thumb’s width below (or 2.5 degrees to the celestial southwest) of the moon — easily close enough for them to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). Avoid turning optical aids toward the western horizon until the sun has fully set.
MONDAY, JULY 8 – EARTHSHINE AND INNER PLANETS (AFTER SUNSET)
For several evenings surrounding Monday, July 8, the young crescent moon will shine in the western sky after sunset. Watch for Earthshine, also known as the Ashen Glow and “the old moon in the new moon’s arms”. That’s sunlight reflected off Earth and back toward the moon, slightly brightening the dark portion of the moon’s Earth-facing hemisphere. The phenomenon appears for several days after each new moon, but is strongest in springtime at mid-northern latitudes, when the moon is directly above the sun when it sets. This month, the moon will be accompanied by both inner planets, Venus and Mercury.
THURSDAY, JULY 11 – LUNAR CRATERS THEOPHILUS, CYRILLUS, AND CATHARINA (EVENING)
On Thursday evening, July 11, the terminator separating the moon’s lit and dark hemispheres will fall just to the left of a trio of large craters named Theophilus, Cyrillus, and Catharina that curve along the western edge of gray Mare Nectaris. You can tell what order the craters were formed in by observing how sharp and fresh Theophilus’ rim appears, and by the way it has partially overprinted neighboring Cyrillus to its lower left (or lunar southwest). Under magnification, Theophilus’ terraced rim and craggy central mountain peak are evident. Cyrillus hosts a trio of degraded central peaks inside a hexagonal rim, while much older Catharina’s peak has been submerged, her edges blurred and her floor overprinted by smaller, more recent craters.
SATURDAY, JULY 13 – CONSECUTIVE SHADOWS CROSS JUPITER
From time to time, observers with good-quality telescopes can watch the small, round, black shadows of the Galilean moons traverse Jupiter’s disk. On Saturday morning, July 13, sky-watchers located in western North America can watch two shadows cross the southern hemisphere of Jupiter, one after the other. At 2:49 a.m. PDT (or 09:49 GMT), the small shadow of Europa will begin to cross Jupiter’s south polar zone. As it is leaving Jupiter’s disk at 5:10 a.m. PDT (or 12:10 GMT), Io’s larger shadow will begin its own crossing. By the time its trip is complete, around 7:19 a.m. PDT (or 14:19 GMT), the sky will be brightening.
SATURDAY, JULY 13 – FIRST QUARTER MOON
The moon will complete the first quarter of its orbit around Earth, as measured from the previous new moon, on Saturday, July 13 at 6:49 p.m. EDT or 3:49 p.m. PDT and 22:49 GMT. The 90-degree angle formed by the Earth, sun, and moon at that time will cause us to see our natural satellite half-illuminated on its eastern side. At first quarter, the moon always rises around mid-day and sets around midnight, allowing us to see its pale orb in the afternoon daytime sky, too. The evenings surrounding the first quarter phase are the best ones for viewing the lunar terrain when it is dramatically lit by low-angled sunlight.
SATURDAY, JULY 13 – HALF-MOON OCCULTS SPICA (EVENING)
On Saturday afternoon, July 13, the waxing gibbous moon will be visible crossing the bright, southeastern sky. For observers across North and Central America, the Caribbean, and west to the eastern tip of Russia, the moon will pass in front of, or occult, Virgo’s brightest star, Spica, after dusk. In the Eastern Time Zone, the dark, leading edge of the moon will begin to occult Spica just before they set in the west. Observers in the Central and Mountain Time Zones will see the entire occultation in a dark sky. For those located even farther west, the event will occur in a bright sky. Lunar occultations of bright stars can be seen with sharp, unaided eyes in a dark sky, and through binoculars and backyard telescopes, even when the sky is bright. The exact times for this event depend on your location, so use an app like Starry Night to look up your circumstances. You can also use the app to simulate where on the lit half of the moon the star will re-appear. In Denver, Colorado, the dark limb of the moon will cover Spica at 8:48:45 p.m. CDT. The star will emerge near Mare Crisium at 10:10:28 p.m. CDT.
MONDAY, JULY 15 – RED MARS PASSES URANUS (PRE-DAWN)
While the red planet Mars travels towards its bright opposition in January 2025, it will pass close to several other planets and deep sky objects. In the eastern pre-dawn sky on Monday, July 15, the bright, magnitude 0.95 planet Mars will pass only 0.55 degrees (or about the full moon’s diameter) south of 86 times fainter, blue-green Uranus. The two planets will be close enough to share the view in binoculars (orange circle) from July 7 to 23. On the mornings preceding July 15, Uranus will be positioned to the lower left (or celestial east) of Mars. On Monday, Uranus’ speck will sit just to Mars’ upper left. On the nights beyond July 15, Uranus will shift farther to the upper right of Mars. The duo will share the view in a backyard telescope from Saturday to Wednesday, but your telescope will likely mirror and/or flip their arrangement.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 17 – BRIGHT MOON NEAR THE SCORPION’S HEART (EVENING)
On Wednesday evening, July 17 in the Americas, the bright, waxing gibbous moon will shine a few finger-widths to the left (or celestial east) of Scorpius’ brightest star. The red giant star Antares represents the heart of the scorpion. Its name means “Rival of Mars”, the red planet it resembles and occasionally shines close to. Hours earlier, observers with sharp eyes and binoculars or telescopes across the southern continental Africa and Madagascar can watch the moon cross in front of (or occult) Antares. Surrounding regions will only see the moon graze the star. Use an app like Starry Night to look up the circumstances for your location.
THURSDAY, JULY 18 – THE ARISTARCHUS PLATEAU (ALL NIGHT)
Three prominent craters break up the expanse of Oceanus Procellarum, the widespread dark region on the moon’s left-hand side. Large Copernicus is the easternmost of the craters. Its extensive, ragged ray system intermingles with that of the smaller crater Kepler to its southwest. The very bright crater Aristarchus positioned northwest of them occupies the southeastern corner of a diamond-shaped plateau that is one of the most colorful regions on the moon. NASA orbiters have detected high levels of radioactive radon there. Use a telescope and high magnification to view features like the large, sinuous rille named Vallis Schröteri. Its snake-like form begins between Aristarchus and next-door Herodotus and meanders across the plateau.
SUNDAY, JULY 21 – FULL THUNDER MOON
The moon will reach its full phase on Sunday, July 21 at 6:17 a.m. EDT or 3:17 a.m. PDT and 10:17 GMT. The July full moon, commonly called the Buck Moon, Thunder Moon, or Hay Moon, always shines in or near the stars of Sagittarius or Capricornus. The indigenous Ojibwe people of the Great Lakes region call this moon Abitaa-niibini Giizis, the Halfway Summer Moon, or Mskomini Giizis, the Raspberry Moon. The Cherokees call it Guyegwoni, the Corn in Tassel Moon. The Cree Nation of central Canada calls the July full moon Opaskowipisim, the Feather Moulting Moon (referring to wild water-fowl habits), and the Mohawks call it Ohiarihkó:wa, the Fruits are Ripened Moon. The moon only appears full when it is opposite the sun in the sky, so full moons always rise in the east as the sun is setting, and set in the west at sunrise. Since sunlight is hitting the moon face-on at that time, no shadows are cast. All the variations in brightness you see arise from differences in the reflectivity, or albedo, of the lunar surface rocks. Summertime full moons are as low in the sky as the winter noonday sun.
MONDAY, JULY 22 – MERCURY AT GREATEST EASTERN ELONGATION WITH VENUS (AFTER SUNSET)
After sunset on Monday evening, July 22, Mercury (orbit shown in red) will be at its widest separation of 26.9 degrees east of the sun, and its maximum visibility for its current apparition. With Mercury positioned in the western sky below the severely tilted evening ecliptic (green line), this appearance of the planet will be a very poor one for Northern Hemisphere observers, but it will offer good views for observers located near the equator and farther south. The optimal viewing times at mid-northern latitudes will be around 9 p.m. local time. Viewed in a telescope (inset) the planet will exhibit a waning, half-illuminated phase. Much brighter Venus will be positioned about 1.4 fist diameters to Mercury’s lower right (or 14 degrees to the celestial WNW).
TUESDAY, JULY 23 – PLUTO AT OPPOSITION NEAR MESSIER 75 (ALL NIGHT)
On the nights surrounding Tuesday, July 23, the dim and distant dwarf planet designated (134340) Pluto will reach opposition for 2024. On that date, the Earth will be positioned between Pluto and the sun, minimizing our distance from that outer world and maximizing Pluto’s visibility. While at opposition, Pluto will be located 3.16 billion miles, 5.09 billion km, or 283 light-minutes from Earth. Unfortunately, it will shine with an extremely faint visual magnitude of +14.4 which is far too dim for visual observing through a small backyard telescope. Pluto will be located in the sky about a palm’s width to the upper left (or 5.5 degrees to the celestial north-northeast) of the four medium-bright stars named Omega, 59, 60, and 62 Sagittarii, which huddle well to the left (celestial east) of Sagittarius’ Teapot-shaped asterism. Alternatively, aim your telescope a generous thumb’s width to the lower left (or 2.2 degrees southeast of) the globular star cluster named Messier 75. Even if you can’t see Pluto directly, you will know that it is there.
TUESDAY, JULY 23 – BRIGHT MOON SHINES WITH SATURN (OVERNIGHT)
When the bright, waning gibbous moon rises in the east late on Tuesday evening, July 23 in the Americas, the yellowish dot of Saturn will be shining a fist’s diameter to its lower left (or 10 degrees to the celestial east). The pair will cross the sky together all night long. Hours later, observers in a zone stretching from eastern Africa and Madagascar, across most of southern Asia, northwest Indonesia, and most of China and Mongolia can watch the moon occult Saturn. Lunar occultations of planets can be watched with sharp, unaided eyes in a dark sky, and through binoculars and backyard telescopes, even when the sky is brighter. Exact times depend on your location, so use an app like Starry Night to look up your circumstances. You can also use the app to simulate where on the dark section of the moon Saturn will re-appear.
FRIDAY, JULY 26 – THE SUMMER TRIANGLE (ALL NIGHT)
After dusk in mid-July, the first stars to appear in the darkening eastern sky are Vega, Deneb, and Altair. Those three bright, white stars form the Summer Triangle asterism – an annual feature of the summer sky that remains visible until the end of December! The highest and most easterly of the trio is Vega, in Lyra. At magnitude 0.03, Vega is the brightest star in the summer sky, mainly due to its relative proximity. It’s only 25 light-years away from the sun. Magnitude 0.75 Altair, in Aquila, occupies the lower right (southern) corner of the triangle. Altair is 17 light-years from the sun. By contrast, Deneb, which shines somewhat less brightly at magnitude 1.25, is a staggering 2,600 light-years away from us; but it shines so brightly because of its greater intrinsic luminosity. The Milky Way passes between Vega and Altair and through Deneb.
SUNDAY, JULY 28 – THIRD QUARTER MOON (AT 02:52 GMT)
The moon will complete three-quarters of its orbit around Earth, measured from the previous new moon, on Sunday, July 28 at 02:52 GMT, which converts to Saturday at 10:52 p.m. EDT or 7:52 p.m. PDT. At the third (or last) quarter phase the moon appears half-illuminated on its western, sunward side. It will rise around midnight local time, and then remain visible until it sets in the western daytime sky in the early afternoon. Third quarter moons are positioned ahead of the Earth in our trip around the sun. About 3½ hours later, Earth will occupy that same location in space. The week of dark, moonless evening skies that follow this phase is the best one for observing deep sky targets.
SUNDAY, JULY 28 – SOUTHERN DELTA-AQUARIIDS METEORS PEAK (OVERNIGHT)
The annual Southern Delta-Aquariids meteor shower lasts from July 18 to August 21. In 2024 it will peak on Sunday evening, July 28 in the Americas, but it is quite active for a week surrounding the peak night. The best viewing time will run from late Sunday evening until the sky begins to brighten toward dawn, though the waning, 38%-illuminated crescent moon that rises around 12:30 a.m. local time will dampen the show. This shower, produced by debris dropped from periodic Comet 96P/Machholz, commonly generates 15-20 meteors per hour at the peak. It is best enjoyed from the southern tropics, where the shower’s radiant, in southern Aquarius, climbs higher in the sky.
MONDAY, JULY 29 – MOON MEETS URANUS AND PLEIADES AGAIN (PRE-DAWN)
For the second time this month, the waning crescent moon will join Uranus and the bright Pleiades star cluster in the eastern sky in the wee hours of Monday morning, July 29. Uranus will be positioned a slim palm’s width below the moon, allowing it to be found in binoculars (orange circle) using the moon as a reference. The Pleiades will be positioned a little farther to the moon’s lower left (or celestial east). After about 3 a.m. local time, the bright planets Mars and Jupiter will rise to join the party.
TUESDAY, JULY 30 – CRESCENT MOON ABOVE MARS AND JUPITER (PRE-DAWN)
After 24 hours of additional eastward orbital motion, the crescent moon will shift above Mars and Jupiter in the eastern sky from the wee hours until sunrise, making a fine photo opportunity. The moon and Mars will be close enough to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). The grouping will be bracketed above and below by the Pleiades and the bright red star Aldebaran, respectively.
Read more at: https://www.space.com/16149-night-sky.html