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.
From the far-southern latitudes of the United States, the two brightest stars in the night sky stairstep up the south at dawn. The brighter one is Sirius, which is visible from the entire country. The other is Canopus, which is just above the horizon.
The Draconid meteor shower should be at its best late tonight. Bits of comet dust will burn up as they slam into the atmosphere, forming “shooting stars,” Unfortunately, the Moon will be in the way at the shower’s peak, so only a few meteors will shine through.
Look for the Moon climbing into good view by 10:30 or 11 p.m. Aldebaran, the bright star that marks the eye of Taurus, the bull, will rise to the right of the Moon, then perch below the Moon at first light.
The Red Planet Mars lives up to its nickname this month, shining orange or red all month. It’s the third-brightest object in the night sky, after only the Moon and Venus. That’s because Mars passes closest to Earth early tomorrow, at just 38.6 million miles.
Although Draco is well known for its name, the constellation is tough to follow. It’s a meandering trail of stars that curls around the Little Dipper. But most of the stars are faint, so from light-polluted cities, Draco is more of a stealth dragon.
A big, messy star system is at the center of Cepheus, the king, which is in the north-northeast at nightfall. VV Cephei consists of two giant stars. One is encircled by a disk of gas and dust. Every 20 years, the disk eclipses the other star for 21 months.
At nightfall, the planets Jupiter and Saturn are in the south. They look like a pair of bright eyes, with Jupiter far brighter than Saturn. And an hour later, the Moon and Mars climb into view. Mars looks like a brilliant orange star to the lower left of the Moon.
The Harvest Moon lights up the sky tonight. The most common rule defines the Harvest Moon is the full Moon closest to the fall equinox. Most years, that places it in September. This year, though, October’s full Moon was closer to the equinox.
The Coathanger, a pattern of 10 stars that looks like an upside-down hanger, is one of the highlights of the faint constellation Vulpecula, the fox. It is a great target for binoculars.
A star with a demonic reputation climbs the northeastern sky this evening. Algol represents the head of Medusa, a monster that’s part of the constellation Perseus. The star fades and brightens, which may have helped inspire its reputation.
