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.
Cassiopeia the queen, whose brightest stars form a letter M, stands high in the north at nightfall. One of its most interesting denizens is Cassiopeia A, the remnant of an exploded star. It’s the brightest source of radio waves outside the solar system.
Earth will be closest to the Sun for the entire year tomorrow, roughly 1.5 million miles closer than the average distance of 93 million miles. That means Earth is receiving a bit more solar energy than average.
Some of the brightest stars in the night sky encircle the Moon tonight. The entire array is in great view by about three hours after sunset, and remains in view all night. The stars are so bright that they are visible even from light-polluted cities.
The Moon has a close companion tonight: Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus. Skywatchers across much of the U.S. won’t see the star for part of the evening, though, because it will be hidden behind the Moon. The best view of the vanishing act comes from the northeast.
The planet Jupiter looks like a brilliant star in the southeast at dawn, with fainter Mars to its upper right. Just below Mars is Zubenelgenubi, in Libra. Its name means “southern claw,” indicating that it once was considered a claw of the celestial scorpion.
The constellation Cancer rises in the east by around 9 p.m. and climbs high across the sky later on. Its stars aren’t all that prominent, although binoculars reveal a sparkly group of stars known as the Beehive Cluster.
Hamal, the brightest star in Aries, the ram, arcs high across the south this evening, almost directly above the Moon. The star is expanding to become a giant. It is orbited by a giant planet that is being evaporated by the star’s intense energy.
Aries, the ram, is high in the east as night falls and stands due south a few hours later. Despite its fame as a member of the zodiac, Aries includes only three bright stars. A fainter star is added to create a figure that resembles a lopsided boomerang.
The Summer Triangle is in the western sky as night falls. Its three points are Vega, the brightest member of the group, which forms the right point of the triangle; Altair, the left point; and Deneb, the top of the triangle.
As twilight drains from the sky this evening, look toward the west for the Northern Cross. These bright stars represent Cygnus, the swan. As the swan begins to set, though, it dives head-first toward the western horizon, so it looks like a cross.
