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.
The giant planets Jupiter and Saturn are in the southwest at nightfall and look like they’re about to touch each other. Jupiter is the brighter of the two. At that same hour, Mars shines like an orange star to the upper right of the Moon.
Mars stands directly above the Moon as darkness falls this evening. It looks like a bright orange star. It will stand to the right of the Moon as they set in the wee hours of the morning.
Three steeds gallop across the sky tonight — Pegasus the flying horse; Equuleus, the little horse; and Monoceros, the unicorn. Pegasus is the brightest. Look for its Great Square high in the sky at nightfall, above the Moon.
Winter arrives in the northern hemisphere today, which is the winter solstice. The Sun stands farthest south for the entire year, and it’s in view for the shortest time.
The planets Jupiter and Saturn are in the southwest as darkness begins to fall. Jupiter is the brighter of the two and is easy to pick out. Saturn will stand just above Jupiter tonight, and almost side by side with it tomorrow night.
If you’re in the southern half of the U.S., look for something unusual: the Big Dipper rising. From Dallas, most of it is below the horizon at nightfall. The bowl climbs into view by about 10 p.m., and the handle follows by midnight.
Lyra is dropping lower in the evening sky. It’s in the west-northwest at nightfall, marked by its brightest star, Vega, one of the brightest stars in all the night.
Today is the start of Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival named for the god of agriculture. Most work stopped, and people decorated their homes and exchanged gifts. Since it came just before the winter solstice, the darkest time of year, candles were popular gifts.
There’s a logjam in the southwestern sky after sunset the next couple of evenings. The crescent Moon will pass by Jupiter and Saturn, which look like they’re about to slam into each other. Jupiter is the brighter of the giant planets.
The planet Venus is low in the southeast at dawn. It’s the brilliant Morning Star, so you can’t miss it. A Soviet probe, Venera 7, landed on Venus 50 years ago today. It was the first successful landing on any body other than Earth or the Moon.
