Scorpius and Sagittarius highlight July nights, scooting low across the south. Antares highlights the scorpion’s hook-shaped body, with teapot-shaped Sagittarius to its left. Under dark skies, the Milky Way rises from the teapot’s spout like steam. Meanwhile, the Big Dipper stands high in the north and northwest during the evening, with its handle to the upper left and bowl to the lower right.
The full Moon of July is known as the Hay Moon, Thunder Moon, or Apollo Moon.
Perigee July 13
Apogee July 25
Moon phases are Central Time.
Comet C/2025 R3 PanStarrs will zip across the Great Square of Pegasus next week. It will pass closest to the Sun on April 20, and closest to Earth a week later. The comet is low in the east before and during dawn now, and may be visible through binoculars.
The most recent known supernova in the Milky Way Galaxy flared to life in 1604. Today, the remnants of the star form a rapidly expanding cloud known as a nebula. It’s at the southern edge of Ophiuchus. At dawn tomorrow, it appears to the upper right of the Moon.
NGC 2467, a nebula in the constellation Puppis, is well to the left of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, in early evening. It’s visible through binoculars. It’s actually several stellar nurseries that line up in the same direction.
The bright star Antares, the heart of the scorpion, climbs into good view by 1 or 1:30 a.m. tonight. It stands close to the lower left of the Moon as they rise, with the Moon inching closer to the star before dawn.
The star Beta Monocerotis is a highlight of Monoceros, the unicorn. The constellation is high in the southwest in early evening, between Orion and the “little dog” star Procyon. A telescope shows that it consists of three stars, all with a fetching blue-white color.
The faint constellation Draco, the dragon, is in the northeast at nightfall and slithers high across the north later on. One of its treasures is the Cat’s Eye Nebula, which represents the glowing remains of a dying star.
Spica, the brightest star of Virgo, rises just above the Moon early this evening. Spica consists of two big, heavy stars. The primary star is about 10 times the mass of the Sun, while the other is about seven times the Sun’s mass.
Mercury is just peeking into view in the dawn sky. The little planet is in the east in the waxing twilight, and looks like a bright star. But because of the angle at which it rises, it’s hard to spot. The view is best from south of about Dallas.
For skywatchers, tonight is a time for old friends. There’s an almost-full Moon, so its glare overpowers most of the stars. But the brightest, most-familiar stars shine through. That includes the stars of the Big Dipper, which are in the northeast at nightfall.
One of the most beautiful double stars is Algieba, in Leo, the lion, a constellation that is prominent during spring. Seen through a telescope, both of Algieba’s stars shine golden yellow.
