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.
Delphinus, the dolphin, is in good view in the east at nightfall. This tiny pattern of stars really does look like a dolphin. Look for it swimming into view in the east as darkness falls, and climbing high across the south during the night.
Venus, the dazzling “evening star,” lines up close to the crescent Moon this evening. Venus shines so brightly in part because it’s quite close, and in part because it’s blanketed by brilliant clouds.
The Moon, two planets, and a bright star line up in the west as night falls. The planet Mercury is close below the Moon. Venus, the “evening star,” is to the upper left of the Moon. Regulus, the heart of Leo, the lion, lines up between the Moon and Venus.
Teapot-shaped Sagittarius is in the southeast at nightfall. The steam above the teapot’s spout includes two nebulae that are giving birth to new star clusters: M8 (the Lagoon Nebula) and M20 (the Trifid Nebula).
The little planet Mercury stands farthest from the Sun for its current evening appearance tonight. It looks like a fairly bright star quite low in the west as darkness falls.
The “solar highway” curves low across the south on July evenings, outlining the path the Sun will follow during fall and winter. It is marked by some of the brightest objects in the night sky, including the planets Venus, Jupiter, and Mars.
The constellation Sagittarius climbs low across the south on summer evenings. Its brightest stars form the outline of a teapot. The center of the Milky Way galaxy lies just above the spout of the teapot, about 27,000 light-years away.
The crescent Moon will squeak past the bright star Aldebaran early tomorrow. They will be separated by just a degree or two as they climb into view a couple of hours before sunrise. From northern Minnesota, the Moon will pass in front of the star.
Moon-free summer evenings are the best times of year to catch the splendor of the Milky Way. This hazy band of light represents the combined glow of millions of stars. They outline the disk of the Milky Way galaxy.
The evening star has a date with the lion the next couple of nights. They are due west at nightfall. The “evening star” is Venus, our closest planetary neighbor. It will snuggle close to the star Regulus, the heart of Leo, the lion.
