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 Moon and the planet Jupiter, which looks like a brilliant star, anchor a beautiful lineup in the southeastern sky at first light tomorrow. The much-fainter planet Mars stands to their upper right, with the star Spica farther along the same line.
Mars and the Moon are part of a beautiful quartet in tomorrow’s pre-dawn sky. Mars will stand close below the Moon, with the star Spica to the right of the Moon. The brilliant planet Jupiter perches below them.
One of the strongest meteor showers of the year, the Geminids, should be at its best on Wednesday night. The shower may sprinkle dozens of meteors into the sky per hour. The Moon won’t interfere with the fireworks, so it should be a good show.
Orion the hunter clears the eastern horizon by about 8 p.m. Look for its belt of three moderately bright stars, which aims straight up into the sky as Orion rises. It’s flanked by Orion’s brightest stars: Betelgeuse to the left, Rigel to the right.
The Moon will reach its “last-quarter” phase at 1:51 a.m. CST tomorrow, when it lines up at a right angle to the line between Earth and the Sun. Sunlight will illuminate half of the lunar surface, with that fraction growing smaller over the coming week.
Regulus, which marks the heart of the lion, crouches to the right of the Moon at first light tomorrow. Regulus is one of the brightest stars in northern skies, so it’s hard to miss.
Regulus, the brightest star of the constellation Leo, the celestial lion, follows the Moon across the sky after they rise late this evening.
Many cultures have seen two human figures in the stars of Gemini. Twin streamers of stars extend from Castor and Pollux, the bright “twin” stars that give Gemini its name. They line up directly above the Moon this evening.
Lepus, the rabbit, hops across the evening sky this month, beneath the feet of Orion, the hunter. Since the rabbit was one of Orion’s favorite quarries, early skywatchers thought it fitting for hunter and prey to inhabit the same area of the sky.
The Sun is passing Ophiuchus, the serpent-bearer, the unofficial thirteenth constellation of the zodiac. The Sun will remain within its boundaries for about two more weeks.
