July is here already. It is hard to believe we are entering the second half of the year!
We have moved past the summer solstice, and days are now getting shorter — and nights longer. Not by much though; even at the end of July, we’ll see the Sun rising at about 5:45 a.m., and not setting until after 8:30 p.m. With the night sky coming a bit earlier, it is more fun for stargazing — provided we get some clear weather!
As with June, the bright planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn remain in the early morning sky. Early in the month they continue to present an impressive lineup, with Saturn in the south, Jupiter and Mars in the southeast, and Venus low in the east-northeast. The planets will soon be moving into the evening sky however. Saturn will begin to peek over the eastern horizon after 11 p.m., after the middle of July. If you are up late, look for it in the east.
The Moon will join the morning planetary lineup from about the 15th, when it is near Saturn, to the 26th, when it is near Venus.
July is another month with a “supermoon,” when the Moon is slightly closer to Earth than average. July’s full Moon will be the closest, at about 221,000 miles (on average the Moon is about 239,000 miles). The full Moon comes on July 13. July’s new Moon follows on the 28th.
Summer constellations are becoming more prominent in the eastern evening sky in July. Cygnus the Swan, often called the Northern Cross, is now high in the eastern sky. Vega, the prominent star in the constellation Lyra, lies almost directly overhead. Pegasus, the winged horse, is now above the eastern horizon.
An interesting little constellation that is quite noticeable is Delphinus, the dolphin. One of the smallest constellations, Delphinus does look somewhat like its namesake, with a bit of imagination. The constellation includes a “diamond” shape of 4 relatively bright stars, and a couple more that make up a “tail.” Where to find it? Look high in the eastern evening sky for the bright star Vega, mentioned last month. Below and to the left of Vega, find the bright star Deneb, the head of Cygnus the Swan. Slightly below and to the right of Deneb, look for bright Altair, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila. If you locate these three, you have found the “summer triangle.”
Delphinus lies to the left of and slightly below Altair, below Vega, and to the right and below Deneb. See if you can locate the little “diamond” shape. Use the drawing with this article as a guide.
As the days warm and skies clear, get out and enjoy July’s night skies!
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