On the 3rd July the Earth is at it’s furthest from the Sun at just over 152 million kilometres away.
The full Moon on10th July is called the Buck Moon as it is the time of year that male deer shed their antlers and begin to regrow them in July.
Two of the most ancient constellations are at their best this month and as the sky becomes darker and the stars slowly emerge, pick out the star patterns on display from Sagittarius and Scorpius, embedded in the glorious heart of the Milky Way. Higher in the sky, the prominent Summer triangle is composed of Vega, Deneb and Altair, the leading lights of Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila. The Plough is in the north west and the Milky Way, which arches high across our eastern sky from Sagittarius and Scorpius low in the south to Cepheus, Cassiopeia and Perseus in the north east.
The Planets:-
MERCURY
The innermost planet is hidden in the bright twilight glow, even though it reaches its greatest separation from the Sun on 4th of the month.
VENUS
The brilliant morning star rises above the horizon about 2am, at magnitude –4.1. The crescent Moon forms a lovely pairing with Venus on the mornings of 21st and 22nd July.
MARS
The red planet can be located low in the west after sunset in the constellation of Leo. Shinning at a magnitude of +1.6 it falls below the horizon around 11pm. Mars will be fading as the month progresses as the Earth moves away from it On the 28th July the crescent Moon passes below the red planet
JUPITER
This month the gas giant planet emerges from the glare of the Sun into the morning sky. During the second half of July, it appears low in the north-eastern sky from about 3.30am. Lying well to the lower left of Venus, and brighter than any star. Shinning at a magnitude of –1.9 Jupiter can be found in the constellation of Gemini. On the morning of the 23rd a slender crescent Moon will be just above the gas giant. Best observed using binoculars.
SATURN
Rising above the horizon about 11.30pm, the ring world can be found within the stars of Pisces and shines at magnitude +0.9. The Moon is to the right of Saturn on the 15th of the month.
URANUS
Located in the constellation of Taurus, Uranus rises around 1.30am and is just visible to the unaided eye with a magnitude of +5.8. The seventh planet lies just below the Pleiades star cluster all month, and on the morning of 4th July it will be directly on a line connecting Venus and the Pleiades. This will be an ideal opportunity to locate Uranus using binoculars or a small telescope.
NEPTUNE
Dim Neptune at magnitude +7.7 can be located in the constellation of Pisces, just one degree from Saturn. The outermost planet rises above the horizon about 11.30pm. The two planets are there closest at just 58 arcminutes apart on the 6th of this month. You can find the outmost planet with binoculars or a low power telescope, as a faint bluish object two Moon widths above Saturn
PLUTO
This distant world rises above the horizon around 10.15pm. With a very faint magnitude of +14.4, using a telescope you will find it in the constellation of Capricornus. It will be visible all night long.
CERES
The largest object in the asteroid belt can be located in the constellation of Cetus. At magnitude +8.8 it will fall below the horizon shortly after 1.10am.
Special Events:-
3rd July – The half Moon will be close to the star Spica.
7th July – The Moon lies near the star Antares.
15th July – The Moon will be to the right of bright Saturn.
21st July – Before dawn breaks the crescent Moon will be above brilliant Venus with Aldebaran to the right.
22nd July – The crescent Moon is flanked by the two brightest planets, Venus to the right and Jupiter to the lower left.
23rd July – The thin crescent Moon is above Jupiter with Venus well to the right.
28th July – The crescent Moon lies below Mars.
30th July – the Moon is near the star Spica.
Meteor Showers:-
Around the 30th of this month we will see the annual peak of the Delta Aquarid meteor shower. It might be possible to see up to 20 meteors per hour. The best time to see this shower will be between midnight and dawn; anytime from Mid July until around the 21st August. Delta Aquariid meteors may come from Comet Machholz which was discovered by Donald Machholz in 1986.
Phases of the Moon for July:-
First quarter 2nd July
Full Moon 10th July
Last quarter 18th July
New Moon 24th July